CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Digital Licences

Chris Mole: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the awarding of digital licences by the Independent Television Commission.

Tessa Jowell: The Independent Television Commission are solely responsible for the award of licences under the Broadcasting Acts. They considered that the BBC/Crown Castle joint proposal was best suited to ensure the long-term future of digital terrestrial television, subject to conditions mainly designed to prevent any competition issues. This will give a fresh start to the platform, offering free-to-view digital TV and enabling many consumers to enjoy the benefits of digital television.

School Sport

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last discussed the subject of sport and physical education in schools with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions on this subject with her right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, and their last formal meeting was on 2 July.

School Sport

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding is available to local councils for sports facilities for schools.

Richard Caborn: Funding for the development and improvement of sports facilities at schools is available to local education authorities through the New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport Programme which is providing £581 million in England, the Space for Sport and Arts Programme which is providing £130 million in England and Sport England's Lottery funded School and Community Sports Initiative. All facilities provided under these programmes are available to the local community.

Theatres (Barnsley)

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received regarding theatre provision in Barnsley.

Kim Howells: I have received no representations regarding this subject.

Sydonia Swimming Pool

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to promote the reopening of Leominster's Sydonia swimming pool.

Richard Caborn: Local authorities are key providers of sport and recreation facilities and play a central role in the delivery of sport in the community. The provision of swimming facilities is a matter for local authorities to consider in the light of local needs and the appropriate mixture of pubic and private provision. The Government support the provision of sport and leisure facilities through various means including funding from the Sports Lottery Fund, and I understand that Leominster city council has applied to Sport England for such funding.

Arts (North-East)

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for the arts in the north-east.

Tessa Jowell: In 2003–04 Northern Arts will distribute almost £14 million in grant in aid in the north-east.
	A further £4 million has been earmarked for Creative Partnerships to invest in the Tees Valley, Durham and Sunderland. Since 1995, almost £132 million of Lottery funding has been awarded to the north-east region by the Arts Council of England.
	These awards have funded 956 projects including the BALTIC and Music Centre, Gateshead.

Arts Board

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the changes proposed to the regional structure of the Arts Board.

Tessa Jowell: On 1 April 2002 North West Arts Board joined with other Regional Arts Boards and the Arts Council of England to create a new single arts funding and development organisation for England. The Arts Council will be producing a progress report on the development of the new organisation which I will consider in due course.

Sport (Young People)

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with Sport England and other sports councils in the UK to discuss provision made to nurture sporting talent to compete successfully on the world stage.

Richard Caborn: Officials from my Department hold regular meetings with members of Sport England to discuss the programmes in place to nurture sporting talent. My Department also maintains contact with the devolved Administrations concerning their programmes to support talented young athletes as well as fund athletes with the potential to win medals in significant future international competitions through Lottery funds.

Lord Nelson

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to (a) purchase and (b) put on public display the collection of Lord Nelson's personal artefacts to be auctioned in the autumn.

Tessa Jowell: My Department does not acquire historical artefacts for public display and has no locus to intervene in the sale of private property. The purchase and subsequent display to members of the public of any of Lord Nelson's personal artefacts to be auctioned in the autumn is a matter for the Trustees or governing bodies of museums with an interest in such material.

Tourism

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the tourism industry's recovery since the foot and mouth outbreak and 11 September last year.

Kim Howells: According to the latest International Passenger Survey, in the three months to May this year, inbound visits and expenditure by overseas visitors were both 2 per cent. up on the same period in 2001.
	Domestic tourism has also performed well. Data from the UK Tourism Survey show that, in the first quarter of 2002, trips were up 13 per cent. on 2001, while tourist spending was up by 18 per cent.

Tourism

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to support tourism in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Southern Tourist Board has produced a tourism strategy setting out the potential role for tourism in Oxfordshire and has distributed promotional literature to both domestic and overseas markets. The Regional Development Agency is also working with South West Tourism on a 10-year plan for tourism which directly involves representatives from around the Cotswolds.
	The Government have also put £20 million into their biggest ever campaign for attracting visitors from abroad to the United Kingdom—the Million Visitors Campaign, whose aim is to attract that additional number to Britain, benefiting the whole country, including Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. On 13 May, we announced proposals for the modernisation and reform of tourism in England. Our intention is for more resources to be devoted to marketing all of the English regions.

Music

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she will take to promote music as a cultural and economic activity.

Tessa Jowell: I recognise the central role played by music in our economic and cultural life. My Department works closely with all sections of the music industry and other Government Departments to identify and take forward a wide ranging work programme to ensure the continued success of the UK industry and our artists, at home and abroad.

Summer Play Schemes

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is giving for summer play schemes involving sport.

Tessa Jowell: We are today, jointly with the Youth Justice Board, launching a comprehensive programme of summer activities aimed at children and young people at risk of offending. The programme—Splash Extra—builds on the board's excellent Summer Splash programme.
	Resourced through the New Opportunities Fund, Splash Extra is aimed at children and young people aged nine to 17 identified as at risk of offending and living in 300 estates in and around the street crime 'hotspot' areas.
	It will provide a varied programme of quality sports, arts and other cultural activities, as well as personal development and education. We expect to reach at least 48,000 children and young people and possibly many more.
	Splash Extra will be supported by key workers from Youth Offending Teams, the Connexions Service and the Children's Fund. As well as providing something to do over the summer for those at risk of offending, the programme will also support them back into education and training once it finishes.
	Sport England is also supporting a range of activities mainly through work in Sport Action Zones including in West Cumbria, Luton, Bradford, Liverpool and East Manchester.

BBC Charter

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to announce the timetable for the review of the BBC Charter.

Tessa Jowell: I have already made clear that I expect the process of BBC Charter review to start in 2004.

Crime Initiative

Malcolm Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department is doing to support the Government's street crime and robbery initiative.

Tessa Jowell: My Department is playing a full part in the Government's drive to tackle street crime. We are today, jointly with the Youth Justice Board, launching a comprehensive programme of summer activities aimed at children and young people at risk of offending in the street crime areas. The programme—Splash Extra—builds on the Board's excellent Summer Splash programme.
	Resourced through the New Opportunities Fund, Splash Extra is aimed at children and young people aged 9 to 17 identified as at risk of offending and living in 300 estates in and around the street crime 'hotspot' areas.
	It will provide a varied programme of quality sports, arts and other cultural activities, as well as personal development and education. We expect to reach at least 48,000 children and young people and possibly many more.
	Supported by key workers from Youth Offending Teams, the Connexions Service and the Children's Fund, Splash Extra will not only provide something for those at risk of offending to do over the summer. It will also ensure that they are supported back into education and training once the programme finishes.

Euro

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has recently met the English Tourism Council to discuss the acceptance of euro notes and coins.

Kim Howells: No I have not. The British Tourist Authority have, in consultation with the tourism industry and HM Treasury, issued guidance entitled "The Euro—A guide for small tourism businesses" to assist tourism firms. Copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 25 March.

Tennis

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Lawn Tennis Club on developing access to tennis coaching for children from poorer neighbourhoods.

Richard Caborn: I met the chief executive and representatives from the LTA on 5 September 2001 to discuss the City Tennis Scheme which encourages children from inner city areas into the sport. I discussed the scheme further while attending the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships on 6 July.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met either the Lawn Tennis Association or the All England Lawn Tennis Club specifically to discuss this subject.

Historic Buildings (Public Access)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 314W, how many of the properties (a) grant aided through the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Local Government Act 1985 and (b) aided by the Heritage Lottery fund allow some public access.

Kim Howells: 129 properties in London have received grants administered under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Local Government Act 1985. There is no power under this legislation to require public access as a condition of the grant. These grants are for external repairs and improvements which can be viewed by the public from the street. Some buildings do allow an element of public access by virtue of their function, such as places of worship and shops.
	As part of the condition of grant, the Heritage Lottery Fund requires that grantees ensure that the general public has appropriate access to properties and that no one is unreasonably denied access.

Historic Buildings (Public Access)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 315, for what reason there is no automatic access requirement when properties are grant-aided under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Local Government Act 1985.

Kim Howells: The grants English Heritage is empowered to give under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Local Government Act 1985 are wide in scope. They are a transfer of responsibility from the former Greater London Council to English Heritage, along with the special statutory powers that the former Greater London Council held. There is no power under this legislation to require public access conditions. The grants are normally given for listed buildings at risk where they make a contribution to the appearance of a conservation area and where the works can be seen by the public from the exterior.

Historic Buildings (Grant)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what requirements are placed on the owners of buildings of historical interest who are grant-aided by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund to refund the grant or part of the grant, if the property is sold.

Kim Howells: For grant aid administered by English Heritage under Section 3A of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Act 1953, the whole grant is usually recoverable if the property is disposed of within 10 years of the original offer. Recovery conditions may be omitted where it is considered unnecessary or unenforceable.
	Grant aid administered by English Heritage under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 includes the following condition:
	"The grant or any such part of it as the Council sees fit, may be recovered from the grant recipient under Sections 58 and 80(7) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 if:
	(b) during the period of 3 years beginning with the day on which the grant is made, the recipient disposes of the interest held in the property on that day (the relevant interest), or any part of that interest, by way of a sale exchange or lease for a term of not less than 21 years."
	When an applicant is awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant a contract is issued containing conditions of grant relating to the project. These include the following condition:
	"If you [the applicant] sell or dispose of a property we [the Heritage Lottery Fund] have funded within the period specified in our contract, we may ask you to repay our grant."
	These conditions of grant are detailed on pages 8 and 9 of the Heritage Grant application pack, which is available on-line at www.hlf.org.uk.

Drugs (Sport)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to create an independent body responsible for drug-testing in sport.

Richard Caborn: UK Sport currently has responsibility for the anti-doping programme in the UK. UK Sport is subject to scrutiny by the British Standards Institute, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Standards Organisation and the National Audit Office. Its achievement of certification by these bodies provides an independent assessment of the validity and effectiveness of its anti-doping programme and procedures. UK Sport's anti-doping programme, as it currently stands, provides appropriate levels of independent scrutiny and is well respected throughout the rest of the world.

South Bank Centre

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the South Bank centre has spent on (a) accountants, (b) legal advisers, (c) planning consultants and (d) other professionals, to work on the Rick Mather master plan to develop the south bank.

Kim Howells: Between April 1998 and March 2002 the South Bank centre has spent £1.493 million, of which £300,000 has come from private donations, on the development of the master plan for the redevelopment of its three arts buildings, the British Film Institute Film Centre and the 27-acre riverside estate.
	Of this sum, £399,000 was architectural costs, £160,000 was for planning advice, £224,000 legal costs, £149,000 was for other professional advice and £217,000 for public consultations. Other costs relate to technical studies, an economic option appraisal and the cost of international architectural competitions.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which consultation documents published by her Department in 2001 carried the consultation criteria as recommended in the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultations.

Kim Howells: A number of the consultation documents published in 2001 referred to the consultation criteria although none reproduced them in full.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many consultation documents published in (a) electronic or (b) printed form in 2001 her Department has monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultations.

Kim Howells: The Department regularly monitored and evaluated consultations in 2001.

Pride of Place

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2002, Official Report, column 414W, how many copies of "Pride of Place" have been sold.

Kim Howells: This figure will not be available until the end of August. I have asked the Arts Council to write to the hon. Member directly once they have it and also to confirm how many projects have taken up their offer of complimentary copies.

Spectrum Scarcity

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on spectrum scarcity in the digital environment; and what implications her policy has for the continuation of a statutory ban on religious organisations holding a wide range of broadcasting licences.

Kim Howells: Although digital broadcasting has relieved some pressure on spectrum, scarcity remains an issue. The Government's aim is to ensure that limited spectrum is distributed so as to satisfy as many viewers/listeners as possible, and in terms of religious broadcasting, to avoid giving one religion an unfair advantage over another, so that everyone's beliefs are equally respected. The Government's position is set out in the document "The draft Communications Bill—The Policy" which states that, where there is sufficient spectrum availability, restrictions on religious bodies holding licences will be removed (paragraph 9.3.3).
	The Radio Authority, which licences all independent radio services in the UK, is currently given discretion under the Broadcasting Act 1990 to award local analogue, satellite and cable licences to religious bodies, subject to compliance with the Authority's codes, and the ITC can also award cable and satellite TV licences to religious organisations.
	The draft Bill increases the number of types of licences which religious bodies can hold by giving OFCOM discretion to award local digital sound programme service licences, digital additional service licences, digital programme service licences and TV restricted service licences.

S4C

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the cost of the 10 hours of programmes provided by the BBC for S4C each week in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: The cost to the BBC of providing programmes to S4C in accordance with section 58 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, in each of the last five years, was:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 16.7 
			 1998–99 16.3 
			 1999–2000 16.9 
			 2000–01 16.0 
			 2001–02 16.4

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if she will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Department's spending on information literature in 2001–02 was £300,591.
	No advertising or campaign material was produced during this period.

Creative Partnerships Programme

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the progress of the Creative Partnerships Programme.

Tessa Jowell: We have established Creative Partnerships in 16 of the most deprived areas of the country. Each partnership will offer children and young people the opportunity for unprecedented access to creative learning, through bringing cultural and educational institutions and practitioners together. The first projects will begin with the new school year in September.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 28 June about the number of road and carriageway closures in Royal Parks; and if she will make a statement on the delay in responding.

Tessa Jowell: I received the hon. Gentleman's letter on 1 July 2002. As the subject of his letter is an operational matter for the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency, I asked him to respond on my behalf and I understand that he did so on 17 July 2002.
	My Department aims to reply to Members' correspondence within 18 working days of receipt. In this case a reply was issued to the hon. Gentleman in 13 working days.

Sport (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her plans to develop sport in the Chorley constituency.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to increasing opportunities for participation in sport for all people, particularly youngsters, in all parts of the country. My Department is working closely with the Department for Education and Skills to improve access to and quality of PE and school sport in all parts of the country. I am aware that Chorley Council is working with a number of organisations including Lancashire Sport, the Chorley and District Sports Forum and Sport England to improve sporting provision in the Borough.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

European Parliament Elections

Norman Baker: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what consideration is being given by the Commission to the merits of the method of election used for elections to the European Parliament.

Alan Beith: I understand that no such consideration is being given by the Commission. However, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Commission will conduct a review of the next scheduled elections to the European Parliament in June 2004.

Local Government Elections (Wales)

Simon Thomas: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what work the Electoral Commission plans to undertake on electoral arrangements for local government in Wales.

Alan Beith: I understand from the Chairman that the Commission has no plans at present for work on local government electoral arrangements in Wales.

Local Government Elections (Wales)

Kevin Brennan: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what consultations he has had with the Electoral Commission on recommendations relating to local government elections in Wales.

Alan Beith: The Speaker's Committee has not had any consultations with the Electoral Commission on this subject.

All-Postal Voting

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Committee will ask the Electoral Commission to undertake research on the impact of all-postal voting pilots on the secrecy of the ballot.

Alan Beith: The Electoral Commission is currently preparing its evaluation of the all-postal voting and other pilot schemes that took place in May 2002. The evaluation, which will be published on 1 August, will consider the impact of the pilot schemes on the secrecy of the ballot. The Commission is also undertaking a wider review of the law and practice in relation to absent voting, which includes consideration of secrecy and security of the ballot and related issues.

Franchise

Teddy Taylor: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whom he will be consulting on the question of reducing the voting age to 16.

Alan Beith: I understand the Commission intends to start work on its formal review of the minimum age for voting in UK elections in January 2003. The Commission intends to include in its review a significant period of open public consultation, giving interested individuals and organisations the opportunity to make their views known.
	The Commission will also be approaching a number of groups directly, including young people's representative forums and agencies, Members of Parliament, and the devolved bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

GM Crops

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what separation distances she recommends should be imposed between GM and non-GM or organic crops of (a) sugar or fodder beet, (b) maize and (c) oilseed rape, to avoid contamination of the non-GM or organic crop above 0.01 per cent.

Michael Meacher: There are insufficient data to determine separation distances between crops that would achieve a cross-pollination threshold of 0.01 per cent. Furthermore, 0.01 per cent. is below the level at which an incidental GM presence can reliably be quantified with current analytical methods.
	In 2000 the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) reported on the separation distances required to ensure that cross-pollination is below specified limits. These distances for oilseed rape and maize are shown in Table 1. NIAB did not recommend a distance for beet crops because beet is biennial and generally does not flower in the year of harvest, and any "bolters" can and should be removed before flowering. In addition, incoming pollen would not affect the vegetative parts of the plant (beet root and foliage). In 2001 the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment augmented the NIAB advice in respect of maize (Table 2). The NIAB study took account of work undertaken for the Soil Association by the National Pollen Research Unit (NPRU) which recommended separation distances to achieve an incidental GM presence which was not quantified but described as "very low risk". These distances are shown in Table 3. The NIAB study also reviewed work from a variety of researchers, such as Jones and Brooks—"Effectiveness of distance and border rows in preventing outcrossing in corn"; Oklahoma Agricultural Experimental Station, Technical Bulletin No. T-38, 1950.
	
		Table 1: Summary of separation distances (m) required to maintain cross-pollination of the whole fields at below specified levels for fields of 2ha or more -- metres
		
			  Threshold levels of cross-pollination  
			 Crop 1% 0.5% 0.1% 
		
		
			  Oilseed rape (B. napus and rapa) 
			 Conventional varieties and restored hybrids 1.5 10 100 
			 Varietal associations and partially restored hybrids 100 (1)— (1)— 
			 Maize/sweetcorn
			 For grain 200 300 (1)— 
			 For silage 130 200 420 
		
	
	(1) Insufficient information to produce a recommendation (see report for more detail).
	Source:
	NIAB report "Review of the use of separation distances between genetically modified and other crops", August 2000.
	
		Table 2: Summary of ACRE's advice on cross-pollination in relation to Farm Scale Evaluations of Genetically Modified Maize, 1 May 2001 -- metres
		
			   Separation distances from GM maize(2)  
			  Neighbouring crop Adventitious GM presence in the grain or silage (upper limit)  
			 (organic and non-organic) 1% 0.5% 0.1% 
		
		
			 Maize grown for grain (sweetcorn, seed crops) 130 200 420 
			 Maize grown for silage (forage maize) 80 130 290 
		
	
	(2) The table refers to varieties of GM maize, such as that used in the farm scale evaluations, which are heterozygous for the GM trait. For any homozygous varieties the amount of GM presence will be approximately double the above figures at the same separation distances.
	
		NPRU's recommended "very low risk distances", January 2000 -- metres
		
			 Crop Very low risk distance 
		
		
			 Maize 3,000 
			 Sugar beet (3)1,000 
			 Oil seed rape 6,000 
		
	
	(3) 3,000 metres were recommended between GM beet and organic seed production.

GMOs

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish her detailed response to the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission report; and if she will launch the public debate on genetic modification.

Michael Meacher: The Government are considering the details of the advice from the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission on a public debate on GM issues and will respond as soon as possible. Our intention is that the public debate will start as quickly as possible once the detailed arrangements have been finalised.

Committee LIFE

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Committee on the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Council Regulation EC 1655/2000 establishes the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE). The LIFE Committee is a regulatory Committee provided for under Article 11 of the LIFE Regulation. The mandate of the Committee is to assist the Commission with the establishment of guidelines for the type of projects to be funded, and to approve the lists of projects selected for funding.
	The Committee has met twice in the last 12 months. Two representatives are permitted from each member state. The Commission pays for one representative to attend from each member state. Additional representatives from the UK cost around £400 per meeting. The cost of attending this Committee over the last 12 months was approximately £800.
	The main issues being considered by the Committee are the guidelines and application process for the Instrument, communication and lists of projects to be funded under both LIFE Environment and LIFE Third Countries.

Swillfeeding

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on British businesses of the ban on swillfeeding.

Margaret Beckett: The change in national legislation was based on the advice of the Chief Veterinary Officer in the context of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease and is consistent with the requirements of forthcoming EU legislation on Classical Swine Fever and animal by-products. The index case of the FMD outbreak was at premises where the producer has been subsequently prosecuted for feeding unprocessed catering waste.
	The proposal to ban swillfeeding was the subject of a full public consultation and a Regulatory Impact Assessment. The majority of respondents were in favour of a ban on the feeding of catering waste containing meat or meat products as swill to livestock. The final RIA was published with the Animal By-Products (Amendment) (England) Order 2001 and a copy is available from the Library of the House.

Animal Feed

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk to animal health from the use of waste cooking oil as an additive in animal feed.

Margaret Beckett: Used cooking oils are almost solely of vegetable origin in the UK and are not in themselves unsafe, although there is a risk that they may become contaminated. That risk can be removed if an effective control and traceability system is in place.

TB

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the scope, progress, timetable and conclusions of her Department's research projects on TB in wildlife other than badgers.

Margaret Beckett: There are currently two research projects under way which focus on TB in wildlife other than badgers. Summary details are given in the table:
	
		
			 Title of research project Start date End date 
		
		
			 The risk to cattle from Mycobacterium bovis in wildlife species other than badgers 1 May 1999 30 April 2004 
			
			 The risk to cattle from wildlife species other than badgers in areas of high herd breakdown risk 1 January 2000 31 November 2003 
		
	
	The research projects are proceeding according to plan. Following completion the findings of each project will be published.

Water Level Management

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water level management plans have received grant aid for implementation from her Department in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of this level of expenditure.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA provides grant towards the cost of approved capital works undertaken by the Environment Agency, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), inter alia, to implement water level management plans (WLMPs). The numbers of works in relation to WLMPs approved for grant in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 1997 2 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 3 
			 2002 (to date) 1 
		
	
	The Department is committed to its WLMP initiative. In February 2001 in order to encourage implementation of plans I announced an increase in grant rates for IDBs to 80 per cent. for sites of international importance, and 50 per cent. for sites of national importance.
	The operating authorities have a High Level Target in relation to completion and implementation of WLMPs. Part B of this target is to have in place a detailed programme for implementing and reviewing WLMPs:
	For European and Ramsar sites (by April 2002)
	For other SSSIs (by April 2003).
	The Environment Agency is also required to report to DEFRA on operating authorities progress in implementing and reviewing WLMPs against their published programme. We will be reviewing the information received from this reporting process to see whether expenditure is adequate.

Floods

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many feasibility studies have been (a) commissioned and (b) completed by the Environment Agency following the flooding of autumn 2000; what (i) flood alleviation measures have resulted and (ii) expenditure has been incurred up to April of this year; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency has developed a database to monitor progress at all the flood locations identified in their Lessons Learned Report on the autumn 2000 floods. The database covers locations for which local authorities are considering flood management options as well as those for which the Agency is taking the lead, and is reviewed every six months. A current review is nearing completion and I understand that the results will be available in early August. I have asked the Agency to provide you with the information requested as soon as it is available. Since the floods of autumn 2000, DEFRA has approved for grant aid a total of 274 new flood and coastal schemes and studies at an estimated cost of £386 million, although of course not all relate to locations flooded that year.

Floods

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on flood defences in England broken down by (a) constituency and (b) Government regional development agency in the past five years; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Expenditure on flood defences in England is incurred primarily by the Environment Agency, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards. The Agency does not keep financial records on the basis of constituency or government regional development agency. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Common Fisheries Policy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  who will be responsible for the policing of the baseline/12 mile limit zones under the proposals for post 2002 in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland;
	(2)  whether (a) the baseline/six mile limit zone and (b) the six to 12 miles limit zone are to be merged to form one zone of baseline/12 mile limit zone within the proposals for the post 2002 CFP;
	(3)  to whom the management of the baseline/12 mile limit zone would be accountable under the proposals for the post 2002 CFP;
	(4)  whether the competency for the baseline/12 mile limit will be returned to member states within the proposals for the reformed Common Fisheries Policy post 2002;
	(5)  whether the establishment of a permanent baseline/ 12 mile limit fishing zone to the member state concerned would require a treaty change;
	(6)  whether the consultation of management will include all those member states who have fishing rights within the six to 12 mile limit zone within the present proposals for the CFP post 2002.

Elliot Morley: The Communication from the Commission on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy ("Roadmap") (Com(02) 181) makes it clear that the Commission proposes to continue the current regime applicable to the six to 12 mile zones.

Bushmeat Trade

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department has approached Governments in countries in Central and West Africa to establish mechanisms to control the illegal international trade in bushmeat.

Michael Meacher: As a result of my Department's representations at the eleventh Conference of CITES Parties in April 2000, the CITES Bushmeat Working Group was established. We have contributed £55,000 to the Group, which aims to help Central and West African range states develop and implement their own solutions, including the revision and harmonisation of their wildlife policies and legislation. We have also funded research analysing existing knowledge and expertise on the bushmeat trade, highlighting gaps in data and understanding, and making recommendations on further action. The results of this research have been made available to the CITES Working Group and we expect them to be discussed at the Group's next meeting, due to take place in Brazzaville later this month. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hopes to represent the UK at this meeting.
	Through the FCO, we have also been using the UK diplomatic missions in Harare, Accra, Abuja, Cairo, Pretoria, Kampala, Abidjan, Maseru, Dakar, Luanda, Nairobi, Kigali, Mbabane and Tunis to raise awareness of the restrictions on importing meat into the UK.

Bushmeat Trade

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to raise the issue of the unsustainable bushmeat trade at the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species.

Michael Meacher: The Secretariat to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has prepared a progress report on the work of the CITES Bushmeat Working Group, and a draft Decision extending the life of the Working Group, for consideration by the forthcoming Conference of CITES Parties in November. We shall support the draft Decision and continue to encourage and support the work of the Working Group.

Bushmeat Trade

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the Department for International Development to establish a joint approach to tackling the unsustainable bushmeat trade.

Michael Meacher: The Department and the Department for International Development (DfID) already takes a joint approach to tackling unsustainable trade in bushmeat, and are in regular contact on this issue. For example, officials participate in the UK Tropical Forest Forum's Bushmeat Working Group; DEFRA and FCO are represented on the Steering Group for DfID's Wildlife and Poverty research study; DfID represented UK (including DEFRA) interests at the IUCN's Bushmeat Seminar in Yaounde in September 2001, and officials from DfID and the Overseas Development Institute produced DEFRA's bushmeat paper for the last CITES Conference in April 2000.

Sustainable Development

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department plans to support Type 2 Initiatives arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Michael Meacher: The UK is enthusiastic about the inclusion of partnerships (the so called "Type 2" Initiatives) within the outcomes of the World Summit since Governments alone cannot implement sustainable development. My Department is supporting the development of a range of partnerships in the run up to the summit, as are others, and we hope that a number of these will be registered as Type 2 initiatives. These include the EU initiative on water, several energy partnerships including the Global Village Energy Partnership, the EU Energy for Sustainable Development Initiative and the Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development, the UK-led Partners for Water Supply and Sanitation and Sustainable Tourism initiatives, the London Principles on Sustainable Finance and the US-led Caribbean Partnership on improved marine management. Final decisions on the level of UK support for these and other partnerships will be made nearer the time.

Plastic Waste

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what waste products are produced when plastic products are disposed of by (a) incineration and (b) burial in landfill sites.

Michael Meacher: Plastics products comprise a wide range of polymerised organic compounds mixed with additives to enhance particular properties. By-products produced on disposal will depend on the type of plastic. When incinerated, plastics will mostly form carbon dioxide and water. Chlorinated plastics, such as PVC, will produce hydrochloric acid. In general they will not degrade to any great extent in landfill and will make little contribution to the production of leachate and landfill gas.

Organic Foods

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls are in place on the spraying of organic foods with chemicals by (a) wholesalers and (b) retailers.

Elliot Morley: Council Regulation 2092–91 (EEC) prescribes the standards which must be observed if food is to be labelled as organic, including the inputs which may be used in the production and preparation of organic food. The Regulation permits only a restricted range of inputs to be used.

Countryside Stewardship Schemes

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what countryside stewardship schemes are available for small dairy farmers.

Elliot Morley: There are a number of existing options under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme that may be relevant to dairy production. For example, buffer strips within improved grassland are designed to protect habitats and conservation features from potentially damaging agricultural operations. Capital works programmes under the Scheme can also be relevant to livestock units, including those that are primarily involved with dairy production. In addition, we have recently begun a six-year research programme to investigate a range of possible environmental measures that would be compatible with intensive dairy farming.
	Following the announcement of the outcome of the Spending Review on 15 July, the way is now open to implement the recommendations of the Curry Commission on an 'entry-level' agri-environment scheme. This will be designed to be as accessible as possible to all farmers, including those in the dairy sector and will be piloted for two years and rolled out in 2005–06.

New Forest National Park

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will delay the commencement of the public inquiry into the proposed New Forest national park until the current public inquiry into the proposed development of Dibden Bay by ABP has been concluded.

Alun Michael: Following a pre-inquiry meeting on 1 July, the Inspector has produced a draft programme for the New Forest inquiry. This shows that most of the parties involved in both inquiries are not due to appear at the New Forest inquiry before January. The Inspector has indicated that he is prepared to be sensitive to difficulties experienced by such parties in the programming of their appearances at this inquiry.
	I therefore do not intend to delay the start of the public inquiry into the New Forest national park as that would not be in the public interest. I recognise that the October start date may be inconvenient for some who are also involved in the current Dibden Bay inquiry, but that inquiry is due to close in December. Much of its work will therefore be over by October when the New Forest inquiry opens.

Vehicular Access

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the criteria by which roads and pathways will be categorised under the Countryside, England Vehicular Access Across Common and Other Land (England) Regulations 2002.

Alun Michael: No such criteria exist because the only rights that can be created under the regulations are private ones. The regulations apply where the owner of premises can show vehicular use of any piece of land for such a time and in such a manner that, had it not been an offence to drive across the land, a prescriptive right would have been acquired. The only categorisation of the type of land is that it must be land over which it is a criminal offence to drive.

Village Halls

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many village halls were built in England between 1997 and 2002.

Alun Michael: This information is not held centrally in the manner requested and the information could be secured only at disproportionate cost.
	In 1997 the Countryside Agency published research which showed that 72 per cent. of villages had a village hall. The definition has been refined following responses to that research which indicated that some villages have a community hall which is technically not a "village hall" but fulfils largely the same purpose. In November 2001 the Countryside Agency published a report entitled "Rural Services in 2000" which revealed that 85 per cent. of parishes had a village hall or a community hall in 2000. The proportion of parishes with a hall is 32 per cent. for those below 100 population, 77 per cent. for those with between 100 and 300 people, 92 per cent. for those between 300 and 500, 94 per cent. for those between 500 and 1,000, 95 per cent. for those between 1,000 and 2,000, 98 per cent. for those between 2,000 and 5,000, and 96 per cent. for those over 5,000.
	Village halls can play a vital role in rural communities as multi-purpose community centres and hubs for village life. We are supporting the development of active local communities and parish and town councils in a variety of ways; the village hall as a hub for social activity and service provision fits in well with our policy objectives, and support of village halls and the activities that take place there is available from a range of public sector and other sources.

Annual Reports

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of publishing her Department's annual report and those of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in each of the past five years; and if she will provide a breakdown of the cost incurred.

Elliot Morley: The DEFRA annual report for 2001–02 was produced with the assistance of the Central Office of Information at a cost of £17,887, exclusive of VAT.
	
		£(4) 
		
			 Description  
		
		
			 Proofreading 3,962 
			 Design, layout and cover 13,400 
			 Production of web version 525 
			  
			 Total cost excluding printing £17,887 
		
	
	(4) ex-VAT
	DEFRA did not incur any of the print production costs. The Stationery Office prints and distributes the annual report as a commercial venture.
	The production costs and any print costs for the previous five annual departmental reports for MAFF could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Pesticides Safety Directorate

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the 2001–02 Annual report for the Pesticides Safety Directorate.

Elliot Morley: The 2001–02 Annual report and accounts for the Pesticides Safety Directorate were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Banned Pesticides/Plant Treatments

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the five pesticides and plant treatments which are banned in the United Kingdom but most widely used elsewhere.

Elliot Morley: There are 25 agricultural pesticides which have had approvals revoked in the United Kingdom but are still available in the rest of the European Union or elsewhere. The majority of these are the organophosphate and carbamate compounds that were not supported in the UK anticholinesterase review, for example, carbofuran. There is a much larger number of substances which have never been approved for use as pesticides in the UK, but may be used in other countries. Differences in approvals between countries can arise because different approval conditions are applied or because commercial approvals are not sought in all countries.
	However, it is not possible to list the five pesticides which are banned in the UK but most widely used elsewhere. Accurate information on the quantities of pesticides used elsewhere could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Consultation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what formal consultation has (a) taken place and (b) is planned relating to the EU Directive 2002/15/ED; and if she will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department is consulting informally with both sides of industry on the transposition of the Directive into domestic legislation and on how it might operate. We expect to launch a formal consultation exercise early next year.

Timber Procurement

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what impact the draft EU public procurement directive will have on the ability of the EU to ensure that all timber procured is from legal and sustainable sources; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The proposals for amending the public procurement directives include provisions which make clear the scope to take account of green production processes, eco-label criteria and environmental management systems at the appropriate stages of the procurement process. These provisions should, therefore, enable contracting authorities to be clear about their ability to specify, in a non-discriminatory way, that timber and timber-related products should be obtained from legal and sustainable sources. The Government are currently considering its approach to the procurement of sustainable and legal timber in the light of the proposed new directive and the Commission's interpretative communication on environmental issues which preceded it.

Timber Procurement

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions there have been relating to proposed European Directive on public procurement, Article 53 so as to ensure that timber used on EU projects in future will come from legal and sustainable sources; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have been heavily involved in discussions, both domestically and in Brussels, on the scope to take environmental considerations into account under the EC procurement directives. The proposals for clarifying, simplifying and updating these directives, on which political agreement was reached at the Internal Market Council on 21 May, make it clear that relevant green production processes and eco-label criteria can be used in specifications (Article 24). This clarification should enable a procurer to specify—in a non-discriminatory way—timber from legal and sustainable sources and to exclude offers which are non-compliant in this or other relevant respects. The award stage (article 53), which is concerned with the evaluation of compliant bids on the basis of various value for money criteria, is too late in the process to introduce such specification issues. However, environmental considerations which provide a benefit to the contracting authority, in terms of the most economically advantageous tender, can be taken into account at that stage.

Energy Shortfall

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to address the future shortfall in energy from traditional sources.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May with a view to publishing a White Paper around the turn of the year.
	The consultation document seeks views on the supply of energy from traditional and renewable sources as well as on issues relating to demand such as energy efficiency.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Recycling

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee, pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1277W, on recycling, if she will publish the monthly data; if she will add the recycling of plastic bottles and plastic covering to the list; and if she will make a statement.

Marion Roe: The monthly data will be placed in the House of Commons Library. Plastic will not be added to the list at present because the quantities generated here are relatively small and priority is being given to maximising the recycling of the other materials on the list.

Computer Access

Bob Spink: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee if he will enable hon. Members to log onto their systems via hon. Members' computers in the Library.

Michael Fabricant: It is already possible for Members to use the computers in "A" Room to gain access to their e-mail accounts. New instructions are being provided to explain the necessary log-in procedures more clearly. These computers are primarily intended, however, to provide access to on-line information systems available on the parliamentary intranet and the internet. For the convenience of Members, other applications, such as word-processing and spreadsheets, are also provided.
	There are also connection points throughout the Members' Library to allow Members to gain access to the Parliamentary Data and Video Network using their own laptops.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the President of the Council how many (a) full time equivalents were employed by his press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 8 March 2002, Official Report, columns 605W, and both my replies to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 69W.

Parliamentary Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 83W, to the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth), on parliamentary pensions, if he will estimate the additional cost to the Exchequer of that part of those improved pensions which are not covered by the increase in hon. Members' contributions over the period before the full cost of the accrued rate is borne by hon. Members.

Robin Cook: The Exchequer contribution to the parliamentary pension scheme is set by the Government Actuary, as part of his triennial valuation of the scheme. The Government Actuary is currently working on his valuation of the scheme as at 1 April 2002. He will take into account, in setting the Exchequer contribution to apply from April 2003, the number of hon. Members and office holders who choose to pay higher contributions to secure a higher pension accrual.
	The Government Actuary has estimated the cost of the improved pension as 5.1 per cent. of pay. If all hon. Members and office holders were to decide to opt to pay increased contributions of 9 per cent. of pay rather than 6 per cent. with effect from 15 July 2002, the additional costs to the Exchequer over the period to 31 March 2003 may be estimated as being in the order of £600,000 in the year 2002–03 and £860,000 for a full year.

Privy Council

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council who was present at the meeting of the Privy Council on 26 June; and what business was transacted.

Robin Cook: The following were present at the Council held on 26 June:
	The Queen
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
	The Attorney-General
	The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Minister for Sport)
	The Clerk of the Council.
	The following Orders were approved at the Council. For statutory Orders the enabling power is given in brackets.
	Orders appointing Dawn Primarolo, MP, George Foulkes, MP, and Dr. Oliver Letwin, MP members of the Privy Council;
	Proclamation determining the specification of three £5 coins commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and an order directing the Lord Chancellor to affix the Great Seal to the Proclamation (Coinage Act 1971);
	Order approving the grant of a Charter of Incorporation to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health;
	Order amending the Charter of the Institute of Materials;
	Order appointing Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville to be a member of the Council of the University of London;
	Order appointing Angus John Allan one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Education in Scotland (Education (Scotland) Act 1980);
	The Consular Fees Order 2002 (Consular Fees Act 1980);
	The Air Navigation (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2002 (Civil Aviation Act 1982);
	The General Dental Council (Constitution) Order 2002 (Dentists Act 1984);
	The Exempt Charities Order 2002 (Charities Act 1993);
	The Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2002 (Scotland Act 1998);
	The Scotland Act 1998 (Modifications of Schedule 5) Order 2002 (Scotland Act 1998);
	Three Orders approving the following Acts of the States of Jersey:
	1. Criminal Justice (Evidence of Children) (Jersey) Law 2002;
	2. Companies (Amendment No. 7) (Jersey) Law 2002;
	3. Public Finances (Administration) (Amendment No. 10) (Jersey) Law 2002;
	Order approving an Act of the States of Guernsey entitled "The Terrorism and Crime (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2002";
	Order approving an Act of the Chief Pleas of Sark entitled "The Conveyancing (Sark) Law, 2002";
	Order under the Burial Act 1853 giving notice of the proposed discontinuance of burials in three places;
	Seventeen Orders confirming pastoral schemes of the Church Commissioners (Pastoral Measure 1983).
	Information on the dates of Privy Council meetings is now available on my Department's website, www.privycouncil.gov.uk. A list of the Orders approved at each meeting is published on the site shortly after it has taken place.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Commonwealth Education Projects

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what initiatives her Department has taken in 2002 in connection with education projects within the Commonwealth.

Clare Short: The Government are strongly committed to the Millennium Development Goals on education: achieving universal primary education by 2015 and eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary schooling by 2005. Since May 1997, DFID has committed over £700 million to support primary education for poor people, mainly in the Commonwealth. We are using these funds to support national education policies which form part of developing country Governments' broader poverty reduction strategies. In 2002 our priority is to implement successfully these long-term programmes and to develop new partnerships with Commonwealth Governments.
	Achieving these education goals will require a strong commitment from Commonwealth Governments to prioritise primary education within their spending plans. Many Commonwealth countries will also need considerable external assistance. The Government are working to mobilise the international community in support of Education for All. Our aim is to achieve consensus by the end of 2002 on well co-ordinated international action for mobilising new resources and better co-ordinated programmes designed to meet this goal. We are giving high priority to working with the World bank to develop its new Action Plan for accelerating progress towards Education for All. We believe the Action Plan's fast track initiative provides an opportunity to try to ensure that no country genuinely committed to economic development, poverty reduction and good governance is denied the chance to achieve universal primary education through lack of resources.
	The bank's fast track initiative offers seven poor Commonwealth countries the chance to qualify for additional financing for primary education if they can demonstrate that their Government is fully committed and has effective policies in place. A further four Commonwealth countries can apply for assistance in building capacity, filling gaps in data and developing effective policies for primary education. We will continue to support the fast track proposals and participate in on-going discussions with the World bank about implementation arrangements.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of attacks on aid workers in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: There have been a handful of attacks on aid workers in some areas of Afghanistan and we remain concerned about reports of insecurity in northern Afghanistan, including attacks on aid workers. We support the actions of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, who has written to President Karzai, and visited the north to discuss security issues with the various factions.
	We shall continue to monitor the situation closely and to encourage the transitional Administration to work to ensure that all parts of Afghanistan are as safe as possible in order to allow aid work to continue across the country.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Defence Secretary regarding his Department's assistance in reconstruction work in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a number of issues. Reform of the security sector is vital to the future stability of Afghanistan. DFID, in consultation with colleagues in the FCO and MOD, is working for the creation of accountable national military and police forces subject to the rule of law and under central and civilian control; anti-narcotics activities; and the re-establishment of an appropriate judicial system. The UK has in principle committed $33 million to this process.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of pledges made to fund Afghanistan's reconstruction at the Bonn Conference have been met.

Clare Short: Pledges for the reconstruction of Afghanistan were made at the Tokyo Conference. Precise data on the disbursement of aid to Afghanistan are not yet available. However, we estimate that donor pledges to Afghanistan amount to a little under $2 billion in 2002, of which about $1.1 billion has been committed and about $0.8 billion disbursed. The pace of further disbursements will now depend on improvements in security and access and on the completion of the National Development Framework and development budget.

Liberia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to support civil society groups in Liberia.

Clare Short: We have no development programme to Liberia. Over the last few years my Department has supported a limited number of projects, most of which have been delivered through civil society organisations. These have included community development projects, and projects to enhance peace and promote reconciliation between ethnic groups. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also provided support to promote democratic values and reduce tension between ethnic groups.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what she estimates the main benefits were for heavily indebted poor countries arising from the recent G8 talks.

Clare Short: At Kananaskis last month, the G8 reaffirmed their commitment to the full financing of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and agreed to provide an additional US$1 billion for the HIPC Trust Fund to help the multilateral development banks meet their share of HIPC costs. The additional money will provide the remaining financing required under the HIPC initiative, and will help to ensure that those countries whose debt position has worsened because of the global economic slowdown and falls in commodity prices will get enough debt relief to enable them to exit the HIPC process with sustainable levels of debt.

Departmental Spending

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a breakdown of how money was spent by her Department in each year since 1998–99 on each programme listed in table 4 of annex 1 to the departmental report 2002 under the headings: (a) bilateral country and regional programmes, (b) middle east and north Africa, (c) south Asia, (d) east Africa and Pacific, (e) Asia regional, (f) Latin America and Caribbean, (g) Europe and Central Asia, (h) overseas territories, (i) conflict and humanitarian affairs, (j) research and economic policy, (k) education, (l) enterprise development, (m) health and population, (n) international trade, (o) private sector policy, (p) rural livelihoods and environmental policy, (q) other non-country/regional specific programmes, (r) regional development banks and (s) the European Community Attribution programme.

Clare Short: Further information on expenditure against these programmes is given in tables 7–7.5 and 8 of the 2001 edition of "Statistics on International Development", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The expenditure comprises contractual payments, grants, core contributions and encashments of promissory notes.

Departmental Spending

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a breakdown of how money was spent by her Department in each year since 1998–99 on each programme listed in Table 2 of Annexe 1 of the departmental report 2002.

Clare Short: Details of the form of "bilateral development assistance" are given in tables 7–7.5 of the 2001 edition of "Statistics on International Development", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. This expenditure comprises contractual payments for the supply of goods and services, grants to recipient country governments and civil society organisations, as well as the provision of technical co-operation and humanitarian assistance.
	"Multilateral development assistance", including contributions to the "Global Environment Fund" and the "EC development programme", comprises grants to international organisations as well as drawdowns on promissory notes deposited in accordance with UK agreements. Details of the organisations involved are given in Table 8 of "Statistics on International Development".
	Expenditure on "conflict prevention" covers activities funded from the inter-departmental Conflict Prevention Pools established in 2001–02.
	"Overseas Superannuation": this expenditure relates to pensions paid to former colonial service and Indian Empire officers and their dependants for which the Government have agreed to assume responsibility under the Aid Programme and the index-linked increases paid on these pensions under the UK Pensions Increase legislation.
	About 90 per cent. of the 24,000 pensions paid to former colonial and Indian Empire pensioners are paid direct to bank accounts worldwide, with the remaining 10 per cent. paid direct to pensioners by payable order.
	The "Gibraltar Social Insurance Fund" benefits Spanish people who worked in Gibraltar and contributed to the fund. It takes the form of pension payments.
	"Administration costs" cover staff costs (salaries) and general administrative overheads such as travel, training and accommodation costs.

Central African Republic

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact the use of child labour in the diamond trade of the Central African Republic is having on efforts to educate children in the country; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: None. The Central African Republic is not a country with which we have a close relationship. Our development assistance is provided through multilateral channels.

Central African Republic

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to bring good governance to the Central African Republic.

Clare Short: DFID has no programme in the Central African Republic and contributes through multilateral channels. The European Commission's ninth EDF programme sees institutional capacity building and the promotion of good governance as a priority area.

Central African Republic

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that HIV/AIDS detection facilities are available in the Central African Republic.

Clare Short: Our assistance to the Central African Republic (CAR) is provided through multilateral channels. We provide support to UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation who are currently assisting the CAR improve HIV/AIDS surveillance and detection facilities through the implementation of their national AIDS strategy. The EC programme in CAR, to which we contribute, includes work on HIV health education.

Food Shortages (Africa)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the money allocated by the Government for the procurement of maize meal in Lesotho has been spent; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: Of the £18.75 million that we allocated to the World Food programme for their emergency operations in Central and southern Africa, £1.5 million was earmarked for their emergency operation in Lesotho. The WFP tell us that our allocation in Lesotho has purchased 2,560 tonnes of split peas, 555 tonnes of vegetable oil and 400 tonnes of beans.

Sierra Leone

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance she has offered to the President of Sierra Leone to ensure the provision of basic services in the country.

Clare Short: This year we plan to provide around £40 million of development assistance to Sierra Leone, of which some £10 million is in the form of direct budgetary support, in part to help meet social sector expenditure. When I met President Kabbah last month, I indicated that the UK was prepared to make a 10-year commitment to maintain a high level of support to Sierra Leone, so long as the Government remained firmly committed to raising standards of governance. Tackling corruption, thereby ensuring resources (including those going to health and education) were no longer wasted, would be a tangible indicator of this commitment.

HIV/AIDS

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes the Government are funding to fight AIDS in Africa; how much the Government are planning to spend on this in the next three financial years; and what other measures the Government plans on this issue.

Clare Short: DFID currently commits over £180 million to bilateral programmes working to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa. Major DFID HIV prevention and care programmes are currently running in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi.
	Considerable additional financial support continues to be provided by DFID to institutions such as WHO, UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNFPA, the EC and to NGOs and civil society organisations in a coherent effort to combat this disease and support those already living with it. We have committed over £25 million to International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa which specifically supports action in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Ghana.
	New initiatives are being planned in a number of countries across Africa. A £20 million HIV/AIDS programme is currently being developed in Zambia aimed at behaviour change and HIV prevention. In South Africa, DFID is planning to invest up to £40 million in a multi- sectoral response to HIV/AIDS programme. In Nigeria, a £25 million HIV/AIDS multi-sectoral programme is currently under design to complement a £52 million national behaviour change programme started earlier this year.

African Union

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department intends to give to the new African Union.

Clare Short: DFID has worked with the African Union through its transition from the Organisation of African Unity into the new African Union. DFID provides support to the African Union's Conflict Management Centre, to enhance its capacity to prevent, resolve and manage conflict in Africa. Capacity is being built through the funding of staff posts, including four specialists, to increase early warning analysis and to improve recommendations to the secretary general.
	In financial terms, DFID expects to provide £480,000 from 2002–03 to 2003–04, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, and provided £530,000 between 1999 and 2001–02.

African Union

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the African Union.

Clare Short: I warmly congratulate the African Union on its inauguration, and endorse the message of support sent by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to its first summit. The African Union has great potential to play an integral part in resolving the many problems faced by Africa today, including the need for a resolution of conflicts, better economic management and integration, improved health and education systems.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects have so far received funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Clare Short: Since approving its first round of proposals, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has been working intensively with recipients to agree financial management and monitoring arrangements. Funding will flow as soon as these arrangements are in place.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress made by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in fighting AIDS.

Clare Short: The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is now legally established as a foundation in Switzerland. WHO is providing administrative support and the World bank is the trustee. The first board meeting of the fund took place in Geneva in late January 2002 during which the legal and framework documents for the purpose, scope and operations of the fund were approved. The second Global Fund Board in April made two key decisions. It selected Richard Feachem as Executive Director, and approved funding for the first tranche of proposals. Of 380 proposals received, 40 programmes in 31 countries were approved, totalling $378 million over two years. A further 18 proposals from 12 countries were approved subject to clarifications, totalling $238 million over two years. Total pledges to the fund now amount to around US $2 billion. The UK has pledged $200 million over five years, and has already distributed its first tranche of $40 million.
	Over the coming months, the fund will be clarifying fiduciary and other arrangements for approved first round proposals, with funding flowing as clarifications are received. It is also engaged in improving the application process for the second round. There will be a policy Board in October and a second round of proposals for which the closing date will be around early October and which will be considered at a January Board meeting.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she intends to continue to fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in the next financial year.

Clare Short: As I have made clear we have committed £500 million to the Global Fund over the next five years.

Angola

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the United Nations regarding the protection afforded to internally displaced people in Angola.

Clare Short: The United Nations estimates that more than four million people have been displaced from their homes in Angola. Three million of these require urgent nutritional and medical assistance. The UK made strong representations to both the United Nations and the Government of Angola to agree a framework for humanitarian assistance and we have made contributions of £3.3 million this year, including £1.65 million to the UN, to meet urgent needs. I have met Ibrahim Gambari, the UN SGSR for Africa three times this year to discuss the situation in Angola.
	With a genuine peace agreement now in place, people are starting to return to their homes. It is vital that human rights are respected during this time. This is the responsibility of the Angolan Government though we expect the UN to monitor the process. The UK are assisting with the disarmament, demobilisation, and re-integration of former UNITA combatants. My Department also has an emergency response team assessing the humanitarian situation in Angola at present. We will continue to monitor the situation as access to more remote areas becomes feasible and maintain a dialogue with the UN.

Human Rights

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what priority her Department accords the promotion of human rights in its development policy.

Clare Short: Details of our commitment to a rights based approach to development are set out in my Department's publication, "Realising Human Rights for Poor People".

Environmental Know How Fund

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) of 10 July 2002, Official Report, column 959W, what proportion of the funds in 2001–02 were supplied to United Kingdom (a) companies, (b) organisations and (c) other bodies; and if she will list them.

Clare Short: A list of the projects and the companies contracted has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Developing Countries

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to monitor the effectiveness of voluntary corporate social responsibility strategies of United Kingdom companies which invest in developing countries.

Clare Short: My Department supports a number of initiatives aimed at monitoring the impact of the corporate social responsible strategies of UK companies on developing countries. For example, in the retail sector, we have supported the work of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) since its establishment in 1998. The ETI is an alliance of 28 UK businesses (with a combined turnover of over £100 billion), NGOs and trade unions that work to improve labour conditions in the supply chains of the company members. The ETI is conducting research to assess the impact of its code of conduct on workers and suppliers, and the business case for adopting such codes.
	DFID is also funding research on measuring the impact on poverty of companies' international investments and operations. This will include looking at both the direct impacts, such as welfare provision and training, and the indirect impacts, such as taxation payments to national Governments.

Departmental Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) full-time equivalents were employed by her press office and (b) secondees were placed in her press office in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We currently employ four press officers, and this number of posts has remained the same since January 1997 and we have had no secondees in that time.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if she will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We have since 1997 published all our major strategy documents, including two White Papers, all country and institutional strategy papers, as well as major consultation papers and speeches. Our publishing output continues to expand.
	We do not produce anything which we would regard as campaign material. Our spending on publications over the period in question is as follows:
	2001–02: £1,060,000.
	We do not have a specific advertising budget. However, the bulk of our paid advertising is in relation to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. The cost in 2001 calendar year was £1.208 million.

CDC Capital Partners

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list CDC Capital Partners' investments by (a) sector, (b) size and (c) country since 1997.

Clare Short: CDC's new investments since the beginning of 1999 are listed in the table, ranked by sector, size and country. Relevant information for 1997 and 1998 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost, owing to a change in CDC's portfolio accounting systems.
	
		
			 Company Size Sector Country Date 
		
		
			 Digicel US$20 million Telecoms and converging technologies El Salvador July 2002 
			 Southern Cone Power Ltd. US$70 million Power Peru, Chile, Argentina March 2002 
			 DVI, Inc. US$25 million Healthcare Americas March 2002 
			 UTI Bank 26 per cent. Financial institutions India December 2001 
			 MediKredit 57 per cent. Healthcare South Africa November 2001 
			 NorthPole Ltd. US$30 million Consumer business China October 2001 
			 Songas US$18 million Power Tanzania October 2001 
			 MSI Cellular US$40 million Telecoms and converging technologies Pan Africa September 2001 
			 Medscheme Ltd. 9 per cent. Healthcare South Africa September 2001 
			 Vancouver Airport Services US$30.5 million Transport Americas April 2001 
			 Ace Power US$2.7 million Power India April 2001 
			 Praxis Active Equity Fund II US$8 million Healthcare South Africa February 2001 
			 Aquarius Platinum US$12 million Minerals, oil and gas South Africa January 2001 
			 The Medicine Shoppe US$1 million Healthcare India January 2001 
			 MRO-tek US$1.12 million Telecoms and converging technologies India December 2000 
			 Prime Cure Clinics 12 per cent. Healthcare Africa December 2000 
			 Gateway Container £12 million Transport Pan Asia December 2000 
			 Regal Forest US$15 million Consumer business Central America December 2000 
			 Puerto Quetzal Power Project 25 per cent. Power Guatemala October 2000 
			 Corporacion Fischel SA US$5 million Healthcare Costa Rica September 2000 
			 DFCU 35 per cent. Financial institutions Uganda May 2000 
			 Tsavo Power US$19 million Power Kenya May 2000 
			 Konkola Copper Mines US$30 million Minerals, oil and gas Zambia April 2000 
			 San Pedro de Macoris US$25 million Power Dominican Republic April 2000 
			 Cineplex US$4.9 million Consumer business Peru March 2000 
			 Compania Minera Colquiri (CMC) US$10 million Minerals, oil and gas Bolivia January 2000 
			 China National Offshore Oil Company US$25 million Minerals, oil and gas China January 2000 
			 Empresa Generadora de Electricidad US$74 million Power Nicaragua January 2000 
			 SSB Bank 20 per cent. Financial institutions Ghana December 1999 
			 Satyam Infoway US$12 million Telecoms and converging technologies India December 1999 
			 Guyana Power and Light 50 per cent. Power Guyana October 1999 
			 Orzunil de Electricidad Limitada US$20 million Power Guatemala September 1999 
			 Kingdom Transport Ltd. US$6.9 million Transport Ghana September 1999 
			 South Asia Gateway Terminals US$42 million Transport Sri Lanka August 1999 
			 Ferrocarril Central del Peru 30 per cent. Transport Peru July 1999 
			 Protea Hospitality Corporation 40 per cent. Property Pan Africa April 1999 
			 African Lion Ltd. US$8 million Minerals, oil and gas Pan Africa February 1999 
			 Kondapalli Power Corporation Ltd. 25 per cent. Power India January 1999

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Hunting With Dogs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England has contributed to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs consultation on hunting with dogs.

Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners have made no contribution to the current DEFRA consultation on hunting with dogs, but I understand that other bodies within the Church of England are looking at this issue from an ethical or theological point of view.

Clergy (Terms and Conditions)

Ben Chapman: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, when he expects to make an announcement about terms and conditions of service for the clergy.

Stuart Bell: The Archbishops' Council, which in its role as Central Stipends Authority is responsible for these matters, publishes details of the stipends paid to clergy in its annual report to the Church of England's General Synod. The report for 2001 was published in January this year; a copy is available in the House of Commons Library.
	The Archbishops' Council is in the course of considering the Department of Trade and Industry's discussion document on employment status in relation to statutory employment rights, published earlier this month.

Church Property

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what role (a) English Heritage and (b) the chancellors of each diocese have in approving schemes of work on church property; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: In general, work of substance may not be carried out to a parish church or certain other Church of England places of worship without a "faculty" or permission from the Chancellor of the ecclesiastical court of the diocese or, in some cases involving less significant changes, from the archdeacon. (Separate controls apply to cathedrals.) The faculty system is a legal system of controls which has been strengthened by recent legislation; it predates secular listed building controls, is broader in scope and also applies to unlisted buildings. Because it satisfied Government requirements for "ecclesiastical exemption", Church of England churches are not in general subject to listed building control, though they are not exempt from the need for planning permission where that applies.
	It is for the court alone to decide whether to grant the faculty or permission, but with limited exceptions the Chancellor or archdeacon must seek the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee before doing so. Three members of that committee are appointed in consultation with English Heritage, with the National Amenity Societies and with Local Government associations.
	There is also statutory provision in the faculty jurisdiction system for consultation with a range of bodies, including English Heritage, in appropriate cases. Parishes contemplating changes to listed churches are in any case encouraged to seek its informal advice and that of the Amenity Societies as early as possible. English Heritage will need to approve any works for which it is providing grant aid, and must also be consulted where it has in the past made a grant to a particular church.
	Church property not used for worship is subject to normal secular controls.

WALES

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by his Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Paul Murphy: Since 1 January my Department has introduced three statutory instruments, revoked none, and amended one. Costs and savings are not readily available.

Building Value

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the buildings owned by his Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Paul Murphy: The National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm5221), lists assets owned by each Department and their valuation.

Sunderland Commission

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government colleagues concerning the Sunderland Commission.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with Assembly Ministers about a range of matters affecting Wales.
	The Sunderland Commission was established by the Assembly. It is therefore for the Assembly initially to respond to its recommendations.
	Assembly Finance Minister, Edwina Hart has announced that there will be a wide consultation, over the summer and early autumn, on all the Commission's recommendations.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 752W.

Departmental Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) full time equivalents were employed by his press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: My Department is staffed entirely by secondees. Since the establishment of the Wales Office on 1 July 1999 it has employed three press officers.

CABINET OFFICE

IT Procurements

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Government policy is on the use of open source software to enable increased value for money in IT procurements across the public sector.

Douglas Alexander: This Government are intent on securing the best value for money in its IT procurements by encouraging the development of a flourishing IT industry which supplies both proprietary and open source software solutions to the public sector. Government procurement decisions will be based on the ability of the solutions to deliver effective and economic systems and services.
	I am pleased to announce new policy on the use of open source software within UK Government. It explains how we will consider open source software solutions alongside proprietary ones in IT procurements and award contracts on a value for money basis, seeking to avoid lock-in to proprietary IT products and services. In addition, the UK Government will consider obtaining full rights to bespoke software code or customisations of COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) software it procures, wherever this achieves best value for money. It will also explore further the possibilities of using OSS as the default exploitation route for Government-funded R&D software.
	The open source software policy has been formulated for use within UK Government because we seek to embrace the fast moving pace of the software industry and to acknowledge the clear potential for open source software to change the software infrastructure marketplace. It also serves as an appropriate response to the recent European Commission's Action Plan for the initiative eEurope—an information society for all. UK Government, in joining with its European partners to explore the availability of open source software solutions, will seek to realise the significant potential for cost-savings in the future and to achieve an increased flexibility in the development, enhancement and integration of our IT systems.

Centre for Management and Policy Studies

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he will publish the annual report and accounts for the Centre for Management and Policy Studies.

Douglas Alexander: I have today placed copies of the second annual report and accounts for the Centre for Management and Policy Studies for the year 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 in the Libraries of the House.
	The report and accounts show that financial targets have been met. The quality targets were met, and in some cases, exceeded. The volume targets for participants in training and development were exceeded in the aggregate.
	The changes to Cabinet Office announced by Sir Andrew Turnbull, and presently being implemented in advance of his arrival in September, will have a significant effect on CMPS as an organisation.

Executive Agencies

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the outcome is of the review of policy towards executive agencies.

Douglas Alexander: The Government have today published the report of the review which was jointly sponsored by the Cabinet Office and the Treasury. Pam Alexander led the review.
	The review has far-reaching implications for improving the delivery of central Government services. It concludes that the agency model has been a success in improving, and in some cases transforming, services and functions delivered by central Government and has brought customer focus and a performance culture into the civil service. However, it find that agencies have in some cases become detached from Ministers and from Departments' increasing focus on strategic aims; controls over processes have reduced effectiveness and responsiveness without providing a shared strategic direction
	The report makes 12 recommendations to achieve and maintain strategic connection and improve service delivery. These include:
	departmental leadership which values equally policy and delivery skills and agency management with a clear understanding of ministerial objectives;
	simpler governance structures providing strategic direction from Departments and external challenge from non-executive directors on management boards;
	alignment of departmental and agency key targets and a cycle of reviews to ensure that structures and processes across Departments support the achievement of key objectives; and
	maximum use of financial and managerial delegations to support responsive, flexible and effective delivery.
	The Cabinet Office and Treasury will be working with Departments to put the review's recommendations into effect over the coming months as part of the wider drive to improve the effectiveness of public services and place a culture of delivery at the heart of Government.
	Copies of the review's report and recommendations have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

E-Government

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what research has been carried out to assess the level of (a) awareness in the population analysed by socio- economic group, (b) usage by the population analysed by socio-economic group, (c) repeat usage by the population and (d) satisfaction of users with respect to the website www.ukonline.gov.uk; and what the findings were.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Leslie) gave to the hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Moore) on 20 May 2002, Official Report, column 55W.

E-Government

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget is for the website www.ukonline.gov.uk in respect of (a) site development and maintenance, (b) marketing and (c) other matters for the financial years (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Leslie) gave to the hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Moore) on 23 May 2002, Official Report, column 484W.

E-Government

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on the website www.ukonline.gov.uk for (a) design and build prior to launch, (b) development and maintenance since launch, (c) marketing, (d) other and (e) the project in total in each of the financial years since the inception of the project.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Leslie), gave the hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Moore) on 23 May 2002, Official Report, column 484W.

E-Government

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the savings which have arisen for each Government Department as a result of the website www.ukonline.gov.uk

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Leslie) gave to the hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Moore) on 20 May 2002, Official Report, column 54W.

Emergency Planning

Mark Francois: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to introduce new framework legislation on emergency planning; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend Lord Macdonald of Tradeston is chairing a sub-committee of the Civil Contingencies Committee to press forward with work on laying the foundations of a Civil Contingencies Bill. The first meeting of the committee was held on 17 July 2002. A wide range of stakeholders will be involved in the agreed work programme, including those from relevant Government Departments, their agencies and non- departmental public bodies, the devolved Administrations, the local authorities, the emergency services, the private sector and outside organisations.
	The Government plan to introduce new legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Public Servant (Definition)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how the Government define the term "public servant"; if he will provide a list of who is included in this definition; and what the average annual salary is for public servants, broken down by region.

Paul Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
	For the purposes of the New Earnings Survey (NES) public servants are defined as public sector employees in each of the following areas:
	(a) Central Government—Government Departments and establishments, directly employed health staff (excluding trusts) and various government-financed organisations. (The armed forces are not covered by the NES).
	(b) Local government—Local government authorities (including education authorities), police service and various other organisations.
	(c) Public corporations—Nationalised industries, NHS trusts, and other publicly-constituted trading organisations.
	Average annual earnings for the Public Sector in 2001 are as follows:
	
		Gross annual earnings -- £
		
			  2001 
		
		
			 North East 20,199 
			 North West 21,377 
			 East Midlands 21,705 
			 West Midlands 22,048 
			 South West 21,743 
			 East 22,604 
			 London 26,925 
			 South East 22,658 
			 Wales 21,044 
			 Scotland 21,544 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 21,620 
			 Public Sector Average (GB) 22,435 
		
	
	Source:
	New Earnings Survey April 2001

Civil Service Pensions

Chris Pond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to introduce new pension arrangements for the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: I am today laying before Parliament, under the provisions of the Superannuation Act 1972, three amendment schemes. The first of these amends the rules of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and introduces new provisions for those joining the pension scheme on or after 1 October 2002. The second amendment scheme makes consequential changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and the third amendment scheme removes the injury benefit provisions of the PCSPS to a separate scheme.
	Pension arrangements for civil servants (and those in employments and offices listed in Schedule I to the Superannuation Act 1972) will change on 1 October 2002. New entrants joining after that date will generally be given the choice of a final salary pension or a stakeholder pension with an employer contribution. The new arrangements are being introduced on a cost-neutral basis for employers.
	We recognise that pensions form a significant part of the Civil Service remuneration package, and we want civil servants to be able to choose the pension that suits them best. Today's Civil Service does not offer a job for life and is benefiting from greater interchange with other sectors at all levels within the organisation. Final salary pensions may be good for those who spend a long period with one employer, but those who change jobs frequently during their career may prefer their employer to contribute to a stakeholder pension. By giving our new staff a choice of two good quality pension alternatives we aim not only to support a more diverse Civil Service but also to raise awareness and appreciation of the value of the pension element of the pay package.
	The new final salary option will be known as the premium scheme. It will provide a pension based on one-sixtieth of final pensionable earnings for each year of service. Other features of the premium scheme include:
	option to exchange part of pension for lump sum on retirement;
	ill-health pensions varying in amount depending on the extent of incapacity;
	death-in-service lump sum of three times pay;
	pensions for surviving spouses of 3/8ths of the member's pension;
	pension payable to a surviving eligible unmarried partner if the member does not leave a spouse;
	pensions for children
	Existing members of the PCSPS will have the option of joining the premium scheme or remaining with the current provisions (to be renamed the classic scheme). Members opting for classic will continue to earn a pension based on 1/80th of pay for each year of service plus a retirement lump sum of three times pension. Members opting to join the premium scheme will have their past service reduced—typically to 92 per cent. of its previous amount—to reflect the improved benefit structure. Members may also opt for classic plus; this option effectively provides premium scheme benefits for service from 1 October with service before 1 October continuing to be pensioned broadly on the classic model.
	We are moving to the new arrangements on a cost-neutral basis, with the entire cost of benefit improvements being met by increased contributions by members. None of the cost of the benefit improvements will fall on the taxpayer. All premium and classic plus members will pay the new contribution rate of 3.5 per cent. Members opting to remain in the classic scheme will continue to pay contributions of 1.5 per cent. of pay.
	The stakeholder pension alternative will be known as the partnership pension account. Employees will choose their pension provider from the following panel:
	AMP Corporate Pensions
	Scottish Widows
	Standard Life
	TUC.
	Employees opting for a partnership pension account do not need to contribute, but will be encouraged to do so by having their contributions matched up to 3 per cent. of pay. In addition, the employer will pay contributions based on age, varying from 3 per cent. of pay for those under 21, to 12.5 per cent. of pay for those aged 46 and over. Lump sum benefits of up to three times pay on death in service and on ill health retirement will be provided separately, and will be the subject of future schemes under the Superannuation Act.
	Civil Service remuneration is set having regard to the need to recruit, retain and motivate staff of the appropriate quality. Full account is taken of the value of pension arrangements, including the cost of index-linking, in setting the balance between the pay and pension elements of the reward package.
	The Civil Service unions have been involved throughout the development of the new pension options, both in negotiating the terms and also in appraising their members of the options open to them. The unions' constructive involvement throughout this process stands as a testament to the value of partnership working.

TRANSPORT

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EC-Bulgaria Joint Transport Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This committee is established under the provisions of Article 13 of the Agreement of 26 July 2000 between the European Community and the Republic of Bulgaria establishing certain conditions for the carriage of goods by road and the promotion of combined transport. The remit of the committee is to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement. I am not aware that it has met in recent times or that there are any plans for it to meet in the future. Representatives of the Scottish Executive have not been—and would not in the future be—members of the committee as the matters for which it has responsibility are reserved.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EEC-Slovenia Joint Transport Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This committee is established under the provisions of the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of transport which was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 29 July 1993. The remit of the committee is to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement. I am not aware that it has met since the conclusion of the agreement or that there are any plans for it to meet in the future. Representatives of the Scottish Executive have not been—and would not in the future be—members of the committee as the matters for which it has responsibility are reserved.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EC-Romania Joint Transport Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This committee is established under the provisions of the Agreement between the European Community and Romania establishing certain conditions for the carriage of goods by road and the promotion of combined transport. The remit of the committee is to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement. I am not aware that it has met in recent times or that there are any plans for it to meet in the future. Representatives of the Scottish Executive have not been—and would not in the future be—members of the committee as the matters for which it has responsibility are reserved.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the European Energy and Transport Forum is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I understand the European Energy and Transport Forum will meet for the first time later this year. Members of the Forum were selected by the European Commission following a call for applications published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 7 June 2002. I do not believe any representative of the Scottish Executive has been appointed as a member of the Forum.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EC-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Transport Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: This committee is established under the provisions of Article 22 of the Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the field of transport which was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 18 December 1997. The remit of the Committee is to ensure the proper implementation of the Agreement. I am not aware that it has met in recent times or that there are any plans for it to meet in the future. Representatives of the Scottish Executive have not been—and would not in the future be—members of the Committee as the matters for which it has responsibility are reserved.

Workplace Smoking

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his plans to implement a code of practice on smoking in the workplace; and what consultation there has been with trade unions, health welfare and medical organisations on this issue.

David Jamieson: The White Paper on Tobacco, "Smoking Kills", stated that the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) would consult on whether to introduce an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) on passive smoking in the workplace.
	HSC has completed that task and announced, in September 2000, that it favoured the introduction of an ACoP. Representatives from trade unions, health welfare and medical organisations were all involved in the consultation.
	The Government are giving careful consideration to the Commission's proposals. As part of this process, the Commission has been asked to consider further both the implications of an ACoP on the hospitality sector and small businesses generally, and the role the Public Places Charter could play.

Residential Property Record

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library his Department's departmental-owned residential property record.

David Jamieson: The Department does not maintain a central residential property record. Nevertheless, two of the Department's agencies own residential property:
	(1) the Highways Agency, as the operator of the strategic road network on behalf of the Secretary of State, keeps a database of residential property acquired for road schemes. This contains information restricted under the Data Protection Act 1998 and cannot be released in its current form; and
	(2) the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency owns three residential properties: two are official residences and one is currently on the market for sale.

Travel/Retail Information Report

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place a copy of the final report on research conducted for his predecessor Department by Cap Gemini Ernst and Young on Travel Information and Retailing Policy Information in July 2000.

David Jamieson: A copy of this report was placed in the House of Commons Library last year. The summary of the report is also available on the DfT website, at http://www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect/capgem/index.htm

Departmental Press Service

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department intends to establish an e-mail press release service similar to that previously provided by the former Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

David Jamieson: We expect that the Department for Transport will establish a similar service by autumn 2002.

Flight Paths

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes have been made to aircraft flight paths and altitudes over London and the south-east in the past five years.

David Jamieson: There have been numerous minor changes and adjustments to air traffic routes and procedures over London and the south-east during the past five years. The most significant changes have been:
	the introduction of a second terminal holding pattern, 'ABBOT', and associated reconfiguration of arrival routes for London Stansted airport in April 1999;
	minor changes were made in 2000 and 2001 to the noise preferential routes and standard instrument departure (SID) procedures from London Stansted airport to improve track- keeping and airspace management; and
	new SID was introduced in 1998 from London Luton airport to improve traffic flows in the light of the traffic growth at Luton airport.

Airport Construction

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) received on the economic consequences of building new (i) airports and (ii) runways;
	(2)  what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) received on the economic consequences of building new (i) airports and (ii) runways.

David Jamieson: The Appraisal Framework for Airports in the South-East and Eastern Regions of England published in November 2000 sets out the approach that the Department is applying in considering options for the development of airport capacity. This includes the economic benefits to passengers, and the air transport industry as well as wider benefits to the economy. In the regional airport studies that the Department has subsequently commissioned, these economic benefits together with the environmental and other impacts of airport development have been assessed.

Ten-Year Plan

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the impact of the increased spending announced in the spending review will be on the 10-year plan, in terms of (a) public investment expenditure, (b) public resource expenditure, (c) total public expenditure and (d) private investment in (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04, (iii) 2004–05, and (iv) 2005–06.

David Jamieson: holding answer 18 July 2002
	The funding for transport announced in the spending review maintains the 10-year plan public and private spending total at £181.9 billion, as previously announced. In addition, the Settlement takes full account of the Government's guarantee of full funding for the first 7½ years of the tube modernisation plans at an average of £1 billion per annum.

Journey Times

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 221W, on journey times, what research reports have been produced by (a) the Highways Agency and (b) the Department as a result of the research and studies to which he refers; and if he will place copies of these reports in the Library.

David Jamieson: A report is being prepared for the Highways Agency on the research it commissioned to investigate the feasibility of displaying journey times to selected destinations on variable message signs. The report is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
	A paper entitled 'Driver Information On Journey Time Variability Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition Data' was presented to the Eleventh International Conference on Road Transport Information and Control in March 2002. A copy of this report will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	As part of the current Departmental research to provide a better understanding of the causes of journey time variability in congested conditions on motorways, three technical papers on this subject are expected to be presented to the European Transport Conference in Cambridge in September 2002. They are: Understanding and Valuing Journey Time Variability; Supply Models For Use In Modelling The Variability Of Journey Times On The Highway Network; Assessing Measures Which Reduce Incident Related Delays And Travel Time Variability, and will be placed in the Libraries of the House when published.

Transport Direct

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on recent changes to Transport Direct.

David Jamieson: The Transport Direct team is currently in the process of letting a contract for construction of a web portal, which will be the initial means of distributing Transport Direct. The contract will be let in the autumn with the first stage of the portal to be ready in 2003, in line with the targets set out in the 10-year plan.
	Transport Direct is also extending the number of real time information systems for travellers. £20 million was recently given to 19 local authorities to improve bus real time information; schemes are to be in place by the end of 2003. Transport Direct is working with the rail industry and Strategic Rail Authority to extend rail real time information. Work is also continuing on developing standards and technical details for the extension of real time information systems.
	My Department has recently appointed Nick Illsley as Transport Direct Chief Executive to carry the Transport Direct programme forward.

Transport Direct

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted for his Department on Transport Direct; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: We are currently undertaking a programme of market research to support Transport Direct. This programme is designed to tell us what specific characteristics and features the service should possess in order to satisfy the requirements of its prospective users; what demand there will be for the service; and what it will be used for. The results of this research will be disseminated in due course.
	A review of existing travel information systems, and recommendations for Transport Direct, was conducted last year. The report can be viewed on the Department's website at "http://www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect/travinf/ pdf/travinf.pdf".
	Research has also been completed on standards, and standards-like initiatives, likely to be relevant to Transport Direct. The study also considered whether any further standards needed to be developed in order to ensure that Transport Direct is successful. The report can be viewed at: "http://www.dtlr.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect/standards/ index.htm"
	We are also researching areas related to the overall Transport Direct vision. For example, we will shortly place a contract for market research to inform us as to the future direction on behalf of the traveline service.
	A study is under way into the business case for bus real-time information. This work aims to provide a tool for Local Authorities and transport operators which would quantify the benefits of such systems and thus facilitate their development and adoption. We also hope to publish best practice advice.
	We also have some minor contracts which include research into putting cycling into journey planners and preparatory work for the business plan. We hope to publish the cycling study on the DfT website very soon.

Transport Projects

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the timescale for achievement of the delivery reform measures to which transport funding increases announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 July are linked.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The White Paper makes clear that action is already under way under the Government's 10-year plan for Transport to improve mechanisms for the delivery of transport improvements.

Transport Projects

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the criteria to be used in assessing whether the connection between national objectives for transport and local delivery have been strengthened.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	My Department will monitor the extent to which local transport authorities' local targets reflect the national targets in our 10-year plan and the progress they make in delivering against those targets.

Transport Projects

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the delivery reform measures to which the transport funding announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 July is linked.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	These reforms are set out in the White Paper on the 2002 Spending Review published by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 15 July.

A404(M)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, column 143W, when work to widen the approach to the M4 from the A404(M) will start; how long the work will take to complete; and if he will place a copy of the planned changes in the Library.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Richard Thorndike to Mrs. T. May, dated 22 July 2002
	Tim Matthews has been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent question about the proposed work to widen the approach road to the M4 from the A404(M). I am replying since Tim is currently away on Highways Agency business.
	This work at M4, junction 8/9, is programmed to start in January 2003 and will take about ten weeks to complete.
	In the meantime we will make the necessary arrangements to place plans of the proposed changes in the Library as soon as they have been finalised.

Road User Charging

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the position is of the road user charging research project to be carried out in Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The road user charging research project in Leeds known as DIRECTS (Demonstration of Interoperable Road User End to End Charging and Telematics Systems) is progressing well with the full co-operation and assistance of Leeds city council. DIRECTS is research into the feasibility of an electronic system for charging drivers to use busy roads. It is intended to help local authorities interested in setting up their own local charging scheme; it should also assist the design of the national lorry charging system.
	Temporary equipment will be set up on a small network of roads in south-east Leeds and local volunteers will have a small electronic charging unit fitted inside their vehicles to test the system. No-one will be charged for their journeys and the project will not affect other drivers using these roads.
	We are now moving towards the first stage of infrastructure installation. The roadside apparatus to support the charging equipment will begin to be installed in September this year, and fitting of in-vehicle units to volunteers' vehicles will follow early next year. Recruitment of volunteers will also begin shortly. Once preparations for the demonstration are complete, it is expected that full trials will start around September 2003 and run for about a year.
	Since the project was first planned, the Chancellor announced in the last Budget statement the Government's intention to introduce a distance-based road user charging scheme for lorries from 2005 or 2006. Many features of the DIRECTS research complement this objective.
	In keeping with previous undertakings by Ministers, I have today written to all Leeds constituency MPs to explain to them in more detail what progress is being made locally, and copies of the letter have been placed in the House Libraries. I understand the city council is planning its own briefing for Leeds councillors. We will continue to work closely with Leeds city council to ensure that the interests of local people are met as fully as possible for the duration of the project.

Roads

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) the current condition of local roads and (b) the condition of local roads as at July 2000.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Trends in the defects index of local roads between 1984 and 2001 are shown at Table 3.1 of the "National Road Maintenance Condition Survey: 2001", copies of which are in the Libraries of the House. The index improved between 2000 and 2001. Data on the current condition of local roads are being collected at present and will be published next year.

Roads

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the road network in (a) England and (b) Great Britain was at 100 per cent. or greater stress in (i) 1996, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002 to date.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	A stress map for the English Trunk Road network was published by the Department for 1996 based on actual traffic counts. It showed 3 per cent. of the network was operating above 100 per cent. stress and 10 per cent. of the network between 80 per cent. and 100 per cent. A map based on estimated 2000 traffic flows was included in the published 10-Year Plan. The Plan reported that 7 per cent. of the network was operating above 100 per cent. stress and 13 per cent. of the network between 80 per cent. and 100 per cent. More recent data are not available.
	Data for the whole of the English road Network and for Great Britain are not available.
	The 'stress level indicator' is not a precise measure and is intended for illustrative purposes at the National level.

Roads

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will define the major local road improvements, other than bypasses, as given in para 6.61, page 65, of the 10-Year Plan.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Our guidance to authorities on local transport plans specifies major local road projects as any local road scheme with a gross capital cost exceeding £5 million. Examples of schemes other than bypasses are urban relief roads, rural widening schemes and new/improved accesses to development sites. It is for local authorities to decide what, if any, major schemes they wish to bid for under the local transport plan process.

Roadworks

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted (a) by and (b) for (i) his Department and (ii) the Highways Agency in relation to the (A) M60 J5–8 widening, (B) M25 J12–15 widening, (C) A46 Newark-Lincoln improvement, (D) A43 M40-B4031 dualling, (E) A11 Roudham Heath-Attleborough dualling and (F) A1 Willowburn- Denwick improvement; if he will place copies of related documentation in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: As part of the 1997 Roads Review a key objective was to develop a clear and open framework to appraise and inform the prioritization of trunk road proposals. To achieve this the Government developed a new approach to appraisal which is based on the following five criteria:
	(i) Environmental Impact
	(ii) Safety
	(iii) Economy
	(iv) Accessibility
	(v) Integration.
	Under this appraisal system, my Department and the Highways Agency worked in partnership to produce one-page summaries showing the economic, environmental and social impacts of each trunk road scheme under consideration. The results of the Roads Review were published in July 1998 in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads In England". At the same time "A New Deal For Trunk Roads In England: Understanding The New Approach To Appraisal" was published which included one-page summaries for all the schemes considered during the review including those listed in the question. Copies of both these documents were placed in the Library at that time.
	The above named schemes were added to the Targeted Programme Of Improvements (TPI) in July 1998. Once in the TPI these schemes would have been subject to environmental, traffic and structural assessments. However due to the large volume of documentation it would be impractical to place copies of these in the Library.
	A1 Willowburn—Denwick, A11 Roudham Heath and A43 M40-B4031 Dualling are currently under construction and are all due to open to traffic by the end of this financial year. Construction of the remaining schemes is either under way or will begin in the next year.

Roadworks

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted for his Department and the Highways Agency on the differential costs between programmed maintenance and ad hoc repairs; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The strategy for maintenance, which is based on the principles of minimising whole life cost, has been derived over the years from a number of studies. The effect of ad hoc repairs is always considered within a maintenance scheme against planned maintenance as part of a value management process and thus ensures value for money. The process, which has been developed over time, takes account of historical records of ad hoc repair costs and the effects of delaying planned maintenance for the specific network length under consideration.

Road Accidents

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in road accidents on all roads in each of the last three years.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The table below provides figures for the number of people (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in road accidents in Great Britain in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Killed Seriously injured 
		
		
			 1999 3,423 39,122 
			 2000 3,409 38,155 
			 2001(5) 3,443 37,094 
		
	
	(5) Figures for 2001 are provisional.

Road and Bridge Maintenance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 7W, on road and bridge maintenance, if he will make a statement on the methodology used when calculating the authorities' funding requirements for road and bridge maintenance from 2001 to 2006.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The Local Transport Plan indicative allocations for highway maintenance announced in November 2000 for 2001–02 and 2002–03 were mainly based on the size and condition of the individual authorities' road networks and the number of their bridges requiring strengthening and structural maintenance. Some large maintenance schemes above £5 million in value were approved individually. Authorities were also told that their maintenance allocations for each of the three years 2003–04, 2004–05, and 2005–06 would be at least 75 per cent. of their allocation in 2002–03.
	Consultation on the methodology for the full maintenance allocations in the next three years is currently taking place.

Road Improvements

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the major local road improvements, as given in para 6.61, page 65, of the 10-year plan (a) started and (b) completed since July 2000.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The latest information that we have available from the local authorities shows:
	Work on the following major local road schemes has been started and completed since July 2000:
	Burntwood Bypass Phases 1 and 2 (Staffordshire)
	A143 Broome/Ellingham Bypass (Norfolk)
	A511 Ashby Bypass Stage 2 (Leicestershire).
	Work on the following major local road schemes has been completed since July 2000:
	A174 Skelton and Brotton Bypass (Redcar and Cleveland)
	Avon Ring Road II: B4465 Shortwood—A420 Warmley (South Gloucestershire)
	South Thames-side Development Route 4 (Kent)
	Dearne Towns Link Road (Barnsley)
	A22 Dualling Nightingale Farm (East Sussex)
	West Central Route (Newcastle upon Tyne).
	Work on the following major local road schemes has been started since July 2000:
	Bridgwater Northern Distributor Road (Somerset)
	Dawdon to Seaham Town Centre Link Road (Durham)
	A131 Great Leighs Bypass (Essex)
	A689 Sedgefield to Wynyard Improvement (Durham)
	A617 Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route (Nottinghamshire)
	Wyre Piddle Bypass (Worcestershire)
	A53 Hodnet Bypass (Shropshire)
	A6002/A6007 Coventry Lane Improvement (Nottinghamshire)
	A6042 Manchester/ Salford Inner Relief Road (Manchester/ Salford)
	South Stockton Link (Stockton-on-Tees)
	Coalfields Link Road Phases 2 and 3 (Barnsley)
	A6023 Denaby Main Diversion (Doncaster).

Road Travel

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle kilometres were travelled on roads in (a) England and (b) Great Britain in 1996.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The total traffic on the roads in England and Great Britain in 1996 are estimated to be 377.0 and 442.5 billion vehicle kilometres respectively.

Fuel Duty

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the level of fuel duty rebate available to community transport services.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Eligible community transport services will receive fuel duty rebate at the same level as applies to other eligible bus services. The current rates are as follows:
	
		Pence per litre
		
			 Fuel Rate of rebate 
		
		
			 Ultra low sulphur diesel 36.68 
			 Other diesel 36.68 
			 Lead replacement petrol 34.30 
			
			 4-star petrol 40.16 
			 Unleaded petrol 34.30 
			 Ultra low sulphur petrol 34.30 
			 Gas (6)9.00 
		
	
	(6) pence per kilo

Strategic Road Network

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) proportion and (b) length of the strategic road network requires maintenance.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David York to Mrs. T. May, dated 22 July 2002
	Tim Matthews has been asked by the Transport Minister for the Department for Transport to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the proportion and the length of the strategic road network currently requiring maintenance. I am replying since Tim is currently away on Highways Agency business.
	The Highways Agency aims to ensure that the network is retained in an optimum, safe condition on a basis that minimises costs over time. To achieve this requires that the proportion of the network requiring maintenance is held between 7% and 8% which equates to between 2,400 and 2,700 lane km.
	An assessment of the network was made at the end of March 2002 and this indicated that 7.5% of the network required maintenance.
	I hope this is helpful.

Strategic Road Network

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the slight casualty rate was on the strategic road network in each year from 1994 to 2002; and what the annual average was for 1994 to 1998.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The slight casualty rates on the English trunk road network were as follows:
	
		
			  Per 100 million vehicle kilometres 
		
		
			 1994 21.88 
			 1995 21.01 
			 1996 22.35 
			 1997 23.09 
			 1998 22.28 
			 1999 21.40 
			 2000 20.82 
		
	
	The figure for 2001 is not yet available.
	The average slight casualty rate for 1994 to 1998 was 22.14 per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

Strategic Road Network

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured on the strategic road network in each of the last three years.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The number of people killed and seriously injured on the English trunk road network were as follows:
	
		
			   Killed Seriously injured 
		
		
			 1998 628 4152 
			 1999 664 4217 
			 2000 599 3950 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 2001 are not yet available.

Traffic Lights

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a direction under section 30(7) Greater London Authority Act 1999 in relation to the phasing of traffic lights in Greater London.

David Jamieson: The power in section 30(7) is a power to issue guidance as to the exercise of the general power of the Greater London Authority. It is not a power to direct Transport for London to alter traffic signal phasings.

Drink-Driving

Alice Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many serious injuries have resulted from crashes caused by drivers with (a) more than 80 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, (b) between 50 and 80 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, (c) between 20 and 50 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream and (d) a trace of alcohol, but less than 20 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many deaths have resulted from crashes caused by drivers with (a) more than 80 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, (b) between 50 and 80 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, (c) between 20 and 50 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream and (d) a trace of alcohol, but less than 20 milligrammes alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their bloodstream, in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many people were (a) killed, (b) seriously injured and (c) slightly injured on roads in England and Wales by a driver who was over the drink-drive limit in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: Estimates of the number of casualties resulting from road accidents in Great Britain where at least one driver (or rider of a two-wheeled motor vehicle) was over the drink-drive limit are given in the table.
	Estimates of casualties resulting from accidents involving illegal alcohol levels: Great Britain 1991–2000
	
		Casualties
		
			 Year Fatal Serious Slight Total 
		
		
			 1991 660 3,610 13,610 17,880 
			 1992 660 3,280 12,770 16,710 
			 1993 540 2,660 11,780 14,980 
			 1994 540 2,840 11,780 15,160 
			 1995 540 3,000 12,450 16,000 
			 1996 580 3,010 13,450 17,040 
			
			 1997 550 2,940 13,310 16,800 
			 1998 460 2,520 12,610 15,590 
			 1999 460 2,470 13,980 16,910 
			 2000(7) 520 2,530 14,980 18,030 
		
	
	(7) Provisional data
	National road accident statistics do not identify cases where drivers' blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was below the prescribed limit.

Drink-Driving

Alice Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many crashes on roads in England and Wales involving multiple fatalities were caused by a driver who was over the drink-drive limit in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: The number of accidents in England and Wales involving multiple (2 or more) fatalities where a driver was over the drink-drive limit, are shown in the table:
	
		Fatal accidents involving two or more fatalities on roads in England and Wales where a driver was over the limit(8): 1991–2000
		
			  England Wales All 
		
		
			 1991 11 0 11 
			 1992 15 1 16 
			 1993 10 1 11 
			 1994 9 2 11 
			 1995 6 1 7 
			 1996 13 1 14 
			 1997 16 1 17 
			 1998 7 1 8 
			 1999 8 0 8 
			 2000 10 0 10 
			  
			 Total 105 8 113 
		
	
	(8) Driver tested positive or refused to provide a test.

Bus Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2002, Official Report, column 976W, on bus services, if he will list those traffic commission areas in which bus compliance officers have surveyed the performance of bus operators in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) started its bus monitoring function in 1999–2000. In each of the three years since, VI has undertaken monitoring exercises in each of the eight traffic areas.

Bus Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of households in rural areas were within 13 minutes walk of an hourly or better bus service for the last (a) quarter and (b) year, for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The proportion of households in rural areas in England within 13 minutes walk of an hourly or better bus service was 42 per cent. for 1998–99. Rural areas are defined here as settlements of less than 3,000 population.
	The source is the National Travel Survey and normally three years of data are aggregated because the small number of rural households in the sample means that estimates for single years may not be reliable. The rural sample numbers were exceptionally low for 2000, casting doubts on the validity of using the data for that year within the indicator, so the average for 1998 and 1999 has been used instead of the average for the three years 1998–2000, as previously published. Figures for the average of 1999 and 2001 will be published when the results for 2001 are released on 25 July. Quarterly figures are not available.

Bus Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the powers of bus compliance officers with regards to (a) setting operators' punctuality targets and (b) enforcing operators' punctuality targets.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Bus Compliance Officers function is to monitor the reliability and punctuality of local bus services registered with the Traffic Commissioners, who can impose penalties on operators who fail to comply with the registered particulars of the service. It is for the Traffic Commissioners to determine the punctuality target. Bus Compliance Officers provide the main source of evidence on which the Traffic Commissioners judge whether the appropriate level of punctuality has been achieved on individual services.

Twyford Railway Bridge

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when work on the Twyford railway bridge will be completed.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	I understand from Railtrack that work is expected to be completed in late August.

Train Operating Franchises

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of safety case work undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive in relation to the (a) re-letting and (b) extension of train operating franchises has been since 7 June 2001; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Since 7 June 2001, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has only assessed one re-let franchise safety case, for the Chiltern Railway Company, which was completed on 10 July 2002. However, it is not possible for the HSE to separately identify the costs of the assessment work.
	Extensions of existing franchises do not normally result in additional safety case assessment costs.

Potter's Bar Crash

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) contractors and (b) sub- contractors involved in accident investigation into the Potter's Bar crash under the supervision of the Health and Safety Executive.

David Jamieson: In addition to all the work undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) internal laboratory, the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), HSE engaged AEA Technology Rail to assist with the investigation of the derailment and the examination of the points. The investigation is continuing and further contracts may be let in due course.

Railways Vandalism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance and directions have been given by his Department to the (a) British Transport Police, (b) Health and Safety Executive and (c) railways industry, regarding vandalism on the railways; what plans there are to update such guidance; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 June 2002, Official Report, columns 772–73W.

Strategic Rail Authority

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made as to the effect of changing the guidance issued to the SRA on the SRA's obligations under the funding package to be structured for the purposes of the SRA's accounts in such a way that disbursements under the funding package only constitute liabilities of the SRA for the accounting period in which the obligation to make disbursements arises, as issued on 22 March in the letter to Richard Bowker; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made as to the effect of changing the guidance issued to the SRA with regards to Railtrack, or any company which acquires its assets, becoming part of the public sector, as issued on 22 March in the letter to Richard Bowker; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made as to the effect of changing the guidance issued to the SRA with regard to Railtrack, or any company which acquires its assets, being consolidated into the SRA's balance sheet, as issued on 22 March in the letter to Richard Bowker; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment he has made as to the effect of changing the guidance issued to the SRA with regards to Railtrack, or any company which acquires its assets, becoming an entity under public control, as stated on 22 March in the letter to Richard Bowker; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  with regard to his letter of 22 March to Mr. Richard Bowker concerning the Railtrack successor body, his letter of 21 June to Mr. Nick Newton concerning the Railtrack successor body and his statement to the House of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 971 on Network Rail, what representations he received from (a) the SRA, (b) Network Rail, (c) the ONS and (d) the NAO regarding the initial guidance that the Government do not wish Railtrack or any company which acquires its assets to (i) be consolidated into the SRA's balance sheet, (ii) become part of the public sector and (iii) become an entity under public sector control; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: holding answer 9 July 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement about Network Rail made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 27 June 2002, Official Report, columns 971–73, and the two associated minutes which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State laid before the House on the same day.
	The letter of 22 March 2002 gave the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) certain directions and guidance as to the manner in which the SRA was to negotiate a funding and outputs package with any bidder seeking to become the network operator. Since then, negotiations progressed with Network Rail with the result that the transaction contemplated did not entirely reflect the directions and guidance issued on 22 March.
	Consequently, my right hon. Friend wrote on 21 June to replace the guidance and directions issued on 22 March and to give the SRA new directions and guidance as to the manner in which the SRA was to seek to conclude the transaction with the Network Rail Group.
	No representations were made on the initial guidance by anyone other than the SRA, as it was a letter to them, which was not published until recently.

Strategic Rail Authority

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his letter of 22 March to Richard Bowker Esq, concerning the Railtrack successor body, his letter of 21 June to Nick Newton Esq, concerning the Railtrack successor body, and his oral statement of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 971, what representations he received from (a) the Strategic Rail Authority, (b) Network Rail, (c) ONS and (d) the NAO, regarding the initial guidance on the structure and disbursement of the Strategic Rail Authority's obligation under the funding package; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: .

Network Rail

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2002, Official Report, column 465W, on Railtrack, on what date he expects to authorise the change of control; and if he will make a statement on the conditions that must be satisfied by Network Rail before he authorises the change of control.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	I understand that Network Rail will shortly make an application. I will need to be satisfied that any change of control of Railtrack will not have an adverse effect on the ability of the operating company to continue to discharge its licence obligations.

Central Railway Project

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the SRA's latest assessment of the Central Railway Project; and when he expects to publish the Government's response.

David Jamieson: The SRA is expected to provide a report to Ministers by September 2002. We expect to announce our decision about Central Railway's proposal as soon as possible thereafter, after giving it careful and due consideration.

London Underground

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made as to the change in capacity on London Underground resulting from the PPP proposal; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake) on 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 660W.

London Underground

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made as to the loss of station capacity resulting from work planned under the proposed PPP; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Nothing on the scale of the modernisation plans for the Underground has ever been undertaken and some disruption is inevitable while the contractors are maintaining and renewing the entire network. Most of the work will be done at night; the plans have been specifically designed to minimise disruption to passengers.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on what powers (a) he and (b) the London Mayor (i) have and (ii) will have in order to place the Tube Infracos into administration; and under what legislation these powers are in place.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	.

London Underground

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the criteria for assessing journey times on London Underground services for the purposes of judging performance against the PSA targets for transport set out in the 2002 Spending Review.

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 808W, on London Underground, if he will make a statement on the methodology used to determine London Underground's weighted measure.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Journey times on the Underground are assessed by London Underground using the methodology described in the document "The Journey Time Metric" (published by London Transport in 1999), copies of which I have arranged to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

London Underground

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 668W, on London Underground, if he will publish (a) the data and (b) the calculations, used in order to produce chart 6j (overcrowding on the London Underground today), on page 67 of the 10-year plan.

David Jamieson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 794W.

EU Committees (Scottish Executive Representation)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EU Committee on the movement of air or sea passengers' baggage (principles) is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	This committee has not met in the past five years and has no outstanding items under consideration. No further meetings have been timetabled. One official from HM Customs and Excise attended previous meetings, representing all of the UK.

Chemical/biological Warfare

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will place in the Library copies of guidance provided for (a) the public, (b) local education authorities, (c) local health authorities and (d) other public institutions in the event of deliberate release of (i) chemical and (ii) biological weapons; and where this information is available to the general public.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health issued restricted guidance to Directors and Regional Directors of Public Health in March 2000. The Cabinet Office issued guidance to local authorities in October 2001 and a copy of that guidance, which is being revised, has been placed in the Library. General advice is available via the website www.ukresilience.info.

DEFENCE

Private Military Companies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the checks needed to (a) ensure accountability, (b) avoid human rights violations and (c) avoid legal actions by the private military companies; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The paper "Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation", which was published on 12 February 2002, examines the various activities of private military companies and sets out options for their regulation. It is a consultation paper, and invites comments from all interested parties by mid-August 2002. A full regulatory impact assessment would be drawn up once final decisions on any legislative proposal have been made.

Private Military Companies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what private military companies have been granted licences to operate from the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Private military companies operating from the United Kingdom are not at present subject to a licensing regime in respect of the provision of military services. One of the options set out in the FCO's Green Paper "Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation", published on 12 February 2002, is for the introduction of a licensing regime.

Waiting Lists

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen have been waiting for more than one month for (a) an NHS operation or consultation and (b) admittance to a waiting list.

Lewis Moonie: Service patients in the United Kingdom are mainly treated in Defence Secondary Care Agency administered Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) situated in NHS Trusts. Service patients can opt to be treated in other NHS hospitals and are referred to these where there is a need for specialised care not available in the Defence Medical Services or for geographical reasons.
	The MOD only maintains central records on the number of Service patients awaiting a first outpatient appointment or admitted patient treatment (inpatients plus daycase patients) at MDHUs. MDHU waiting list information as at 31 March 2002, the last date for which information is available, is provided in the standard NHS reporting format in the following tables. This excludes outpatient information in respect of MDHU Portsmouth due to the validation of information at that time.
	
		
			   Waiting time  
			  0–13 weeks 13+ weeks 0–3 months 3+ months Total waiting 
		
		
			 Outpatients  
			 Number of Service patients waiting(9) 1,916 437 — — 2,353 
			   
			 Admitted patients(10)  
			 Number of Service patients waiting(11) — — 1,464 1,029 2,493 
		
	
	(9) Number of patients waiting at four MDHUs (Peterborough, Frimley Park, Derriford and Northallerton).
	(10) Inpatients plus daycases.
	(11) Number of patients waiting at all five MDHUs (Portsmouth, Peterborough, Frimley Park, Derriford and Northallerton).
	This information is provided by MDHU host NHS Trusts. Patients are normally added to the outpatient waiting lists on receipt of a referral from their GP to a consultant. They are normally added to the admitted patient waiting list when the consultant decides that an admission is required.

Overseas Visits

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in his Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case.

Lewis Moonie: All overseas travel by officials is undertaken in accordance with the principles set in Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, and the detailed rules and guidance set out in the Ministry of Defence Civilian Overseas Travel Manual. The detailed information requested about individual trips is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff have contributed to his Department's input to the Spending Review.

Lewis Moonie: The Spending Review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements and a range of staff make a contribution.

British Troops (Accidents and Reparations)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to minimise the possibility of an accidental attack on civilians by British troops on active service; and what his policy is on reparations to families of civilians accidentally killed by troops of the United Kingdom.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 19 July 2002
	All members of HM forces are carefully briefed on their rules of engagement (ROE) for an operation and on when they may be justified in using force. I am withholding details of the ROE in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Additionally, HM forces take all possible measures in the preparation and conduct of operations to minimise possible loss of civilian life and damage to property.
	When compensation claims are submitted, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defence has a legal liability to pay compensation. Where there is a legal liability to pay compensation we do so.

Service Accommodation

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2002, Official Report, column 525W, on married quarters, if he will make a statement on the safety attribute used by the Defence Housing Executives and if he will list the married quarters that are unsatisfactory using this criterion, indicating for what reasons;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2002, Official Report, column 525W, on married quarters, if he will list the married quarters that fail the safety attribute; and if he will list the Standard 4 married quarters.

Lewis Moonie: The safety-related criteria used by the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) to measure performance are:
	Upper windows—fire compliant
	Upper windows—child safe
	Safety of low level glazing
	Safety gate fixings
	Smoke detectors
	Lockable bathroom cabinet.
	Of the 5,921 service family quarters in Wiltshire, 398 do not fully meet the criteria above for Standard 1 for Condition (S1FC). 253 of these properties have one smoke detector fitted, whereas the criterion requires two. (This figure includes 83 properties which are to be handed back to Annington Homes). The remaining 143 properties do not reach S1FC because they do not fully meet a combination of the other criteria above. The addresses of these properties could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The location and numbers of Wiltshire married quarters which do not meet the smoke detector criterion are as follows:
	
		
			 Location Number of properties 
		
		
			 Bulford 4 
			 Colerne 1 
			 Devizes (12)31 
			 Larkhill 71 
			 Boscombe Down 11 
			 Tidworth 18 
			 Upavon 31 
			 Wroughton (12)52 
			 Wilton 10 
			 Shrivenham 20 
			 Winterbourne Gunner 4 
			 Total 253 
		
	
	(12) Planned for handback
	The following Wiltshire properties are at Standard 4 for Condition for the above criteria.
	
		
			 Location Number of properties 
		
		
			 Devizes 2 
			 Hullavington 2 
			 Larkhill 16 
			 Boscombe Down 1 
			 Upavon 19 
			 Wilton 4 
			 Winterbourne Gunner 1 
			 Total 45

Service Accommodation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total amount spent on renting private accommodation for armed services personnel was (a) in 1999, (b) in 2000, (c) in 2001 and (d) since January 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The tables show the expenditure on substitute service accommodation in Great Britain, rented by the Ministry of Defence from the private sector, when accommodation according to entitlement and within the travel to work zone could not otherwise be provided for service personnel and their families. The figures are available by financial rather than calendar year.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Financial year Rent Fees Other(13) Total 
		
		
			  Substitute service single accommodation (SSSA)  
			 1998–99 13.239 0.809 0.191 14.239 
			 1999–2000 18.506 1.004 0.344 19.854 
			 2000–01 19.378 1.001 0.437 20.816 
			 2001–02 21.950 1.230 0.511 23.691 
			 April-June 2002 5.860 0.321 0.079 6.260 
			
			  Substitute service family accommodation (SSFA)   
			 1998–99 7.020 0.197 0.019 7.236 
			 1999–2000 8.522 0.182 0.026 8.730 
			 2000–01 8.096 0.146 0.043 8.285 
			 2001–02 8.859 0.196 0.039 9.094 
			 April-June 2002 2.158 0.032 0.014 2.204 
		
	
	(13) TV Licences, dilapidations, administration/check-in fees, inventory fees, etc.
	The table excludes utilities, i.e. council tax, water, gas, electricity and telephone line rental, for which information is available by calendar year as follows:
	
		£ million 
		
			  SSSA SSFA 
			  Utilities Council tax/water 
		
		
			 1999 3.462 1.281 
			 2000 2.626 0.917 
			 2001 3.729 1.109 
			 2002 to July 2002 3.292 0.898

Service Accommodation

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, columns 159–60W, on service accommodation, what plans he has to improve the standard of service families' accommodation in Warminster.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Housing Executive is planning a number of minor works schemes to improve the general surroundings of the service families' accommodation in the Warminster area. These include:
	Replacement front doors—166 family quarters
	External decorations—8 family quarters
	Internal decorations to stairwells—12 blocks of flats.
	In addition, the possible upgrading of some 400 family quarters is in the early planning stages.

Service Accommodation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) single living accommodation and (b) service family accommodation was released to Annington Homes Ltd. in each month of 2001; what grade these were at the time of release; what percentage of the total number of upgraded homes this represents; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The agreement with Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) covers service family accommodation only. Under the 1996 sale and leaseback agreement the following vacant service family quarters were handed back to AHL during 2001:
	
		
			 Month  Number 
		
		
			 January 41 
			 February 204 
			 March 2,098 
			 August 116 
			 September 1 
			 October 29 
			 December 167 
			  
			 Total 2,656 
		
	
	375 of these properties were at Standard 1 for condition at the time of release. This represented 2 per cent. of the total number of service family properties in GB at Standard 1. Whenever possible, the houses released for disposal are those at lower standards, but the sale agreement requires that properties are released in groups rather than individually. This can result in some higher standard properties being released because of their location. Defence Housing Executive area managers maintain close liaison with local service commanders on the selection of surplus properties for disposal.

Bowman Radio System

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of developing the Bowman tactical radio system; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The cost of developing the Bowman tactical communication system up to the award of a Supply and Support contract to GD UK Ltd., last September, was £405 million. The Supply and Support contract is worth £1.9 billion. To date, £156 million of this contract has been spent on development.

Afghanistan

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what charges are made for (a) food and (b) accommodation for British armed forces personnel serving in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 July 2002
	We do not normally charge personnel on operations for food and accommodation.

Defence Medical Services

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to (a) ensure that the Defence Medical Services are able to deal with the problems of service men while still in the armed forces and (b) make the DMS more approachable.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide primary care and range of secondary care services to members of the armed forces in the United Kingdom and overseas. Where specialist services are not provided by the DMS, service personnel are normally referred to the NHS. Service personnel should feel able to contact DMS staff when necessary.

Veteran Rough Sleepers

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to help the ex-services Mental Welfare Society locate veteran rough sleepers in the UK.

Lewis Moonie: The St. Botolph's Day Centre, which is funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Homelessness Directorate, provide a Contact and Assessment Team (CAT) worker, who is linked into the Ex-Services Fellowship Centre to specifically assist rough sleepers with an armed forces background. Rough sleepers with an armed forces background who wish to be assisted can be referred to New Belvedere House in Stepney. Once placed in permanent accommodation, the CAT worker will continue to assist them by linking them up with a number of support providing organisations, including charities such as the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (Combat Stress), depending on the nature of individual's needs.

Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital, Catterick

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reasons for the closure of the Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital, Catterick in April 2003; what will happen to the patients there; and if he will review the decision to close the hospital.

Lewis Moonie: The Medical Quinquennial Review recommended the closure of the Duchess of Kent's Psychiatric Hospital (DKPH). Following advice from a leading independent consultancy in mental health services, it was recommended that defence mental health services should be switched toward care in the single service community, in line with the approach already well established in the NHS. Most service patients requiring mental health care are already treated by the Defence Community Psychiatric Service, where the emphasis is on local, out-patient care. The reduced requirement for in-patient facilities means that DKPH would no longer be required. Closure of the hospital is currently subject to consultation and no final decision has yet been taken. However, we would not close the hospital until absolutely satisfied that high quality replacement facilities were in place and that suitable alternative arrangements had been made for existing patients.

Service Psychiatric Hospitals

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service psychiatric hospitals there are in the UK; and what proposals there are to open more hospitals for service men.

Lewis Moonie: The Duchess of Kent's Psychiatric Hospital at Catterick is our only military psychiatric hospital. We have no plans to open any additional military hospitals.

Harriers

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the variation in maintenance costs between the engines on the Harrier GR8 and the GR8a.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 July 2002
	There are no variants of the Harrier designated GR8 or GR8a.
	Currently the Harrier GR7 fleet is fitted with the Pegasus Mk105 engine. However, in a programme which is due to commence in February 2003 and be completed by the end of 2005, 30 aircraft will be upgraded to GR7a standard by the integration of the Pegasus Mk107 engine.
	In addition, all Harrier GR7 and GR7a aircraft will receive avionics and weapons upgrades to provide the aircraft with a much improved capability, in particular, the ability to deliver the new generation of smart weapons that are about to enter service. These aircraft will be designated Harrier GR9 and GR9a.
	The information requested for the Pegasus Mk105 and Mk107 engines is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Mk107 engine will have lower support costs due to increased reliability and reduced scheduled maintenance requirements, and over the planned in-service life of the Harrier GR7a and GR9a, it is expected that the resulting cost savings will be in the order of £2 million per year.

ECGD Funding

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will publish his review of ECGD funding for defence projects.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 July 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has responsibility for the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD). There is no review of ECGD support for the defence sector.

Army Website

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what total expenditure has been on the Army website for (a) construction and (b) maintenance; and if he will list total traffic on the home page for each month since 1997.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 17 July 2002
	Since the creation of the Army website in 1996, approximate total expenditure on construction has been £2.4 million and £230,000 on maintenance.
	The Ministry of Defence did not retain information on the total traffic on the home page until November 2001. Figures since then are as follows:
	
		
			  Total traffic 
		
		
			 2001  
			 November 118,913 
			 December 91,749 
			   
			 2002  
			 January 140,272 
			 February 103,401 
			 March 126,845 
			 April 151,310 
			 May 143,987 
			 June 140,551 
		
	
	More in-depth figures on the total website usage for the period shown are available on the internet: http:// armydev.dera.gov.uk/stats/index.html.

Royal School of Artillery

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas students were sent to the Royal School of Artillery in each year since 1997 broken down by country of origin.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 July 2002
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Country 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(14) 
		
		
			 Australia 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Austria 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Brunei 7 2 1 4 1 0 
			 Canada 2 0 3 4 1 0 
			 Denmark 0 0 0 2 1 0 
			 Egypt 0 4 0 0 0 0 
			 France 0 0 0 0 2 4 
			
			 Republic of Ireland 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Italy 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Jordan 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kuwait 4 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Netherlands 3 1 5 10 4 5 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Slovenia 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 United Arab Emirates 2 1 4 2 0 4 
		
	
	(14) To 15 July 2002

Royal Military Academy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's total expenditure relating to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 July 2002
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 23.655 
			 1998–99 24.191 
			 1999–2000 23.961 
			 2000–01 25.510 
			 2001–02 26.961 
		
	
	The figures quoted are cash costs and represent the running costs of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst excluding salary costs of students.

Colombia

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of Her Majesty's forces are assigned to tasks in Colombia; and from which units these personnel are taken.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Attaché and Assistant Defence Attaché are the only British military personnel currently in Colombia.

Portsmouth Naval Base

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to dispose of land occupied by the Portsmouth naval base; what the time scale is for the process; how the land will be disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The only disposal currently contemplated at the naval base, Portsmouth, is of land adjacent to Unicorn Gate. This is required to facilitate the road improvements associated with the Portsmouth city centre re-development scheme. Discussions are under way between my Department and the developers. It is too early to say what the disposal arrangements will be, and the time scale is dependent upon a satisfactory conclusion to negotiations.

Land Disposal (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use for land disposed of within the Portsmouth naval base would be acceptable to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Any alternative use of land within the naval base would be subject to operational and security considerations, and if a change of use was involved, this would be subject to the normal planning process.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many injuries have occurred to service men and service women as a result of the SA80A1's reliability problems.

Lewis Moonie: None.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what faults have been reported with the (a) SA80A2 and (b) SA80A1.

Lewis Moonie: Approximately 24,000 SA80 A2 rifles have now been deployed to the armed forces and eight Equipment Failure Reports (resulting in an inoperable weapon) have been received from units. These reports includes weapons deployed with service shooting teams and infantry units as well as troops deployed to Afghanistan. Three of these reports relate to the trigger guard, three to magazine related parts, one was a welding failure on the sighting system and one related to stoppages experienced. Those reports that related to damage in transit have been disregarded since they are not an equipment failure.
	There have been 1,361 recorded faults (resulting in an inoperable weapon), with the SA80 A1 in the last three years. A breakdown of recorded faults with the SA80 since 1986 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department has made into the reliability and accuracy of the rifle grenade- launching capability of the SA80 A2; and what impact it has had on the accuracy of the rifle's optical sight.

Lewis Moonie: The SA80 A2 rifle entered service late last year. There have been no indications of reliability or accuracy problems when using the A2 in conjunction with the Rifle Grenade General Service (RGGS). Tests were conducted by QinetiQ prior to the A2's introduction to validate with the modified rifle the results of earlier exhaustive performance trials using the SA80 A1 with the RGGS. Some rifle-launched grenades no longer in use did on occasion cause damage to the A1 and its optical sight, but since its introduction into service in 1996 the RGGS has been found to be safe in this respect. For maximum accuracy it is used with a dedicated prismatic sight.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the (a) SA80A1 and (b) SA80A2 rifles to be admitted to the NATO nominated weapons list.

Lewis Moonie: The modified SA80 A2 was accepted onto the NATO nominated weapons list in March 2002. We have no intention of seeking the readmittance of the SA80 A1 onto the list as it is being replaced by the modified SA80 A2.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of the SA80A2 rifles failed to meet the target of 10,000 rounds before failure during testing in Kuwait under hot/dry conditions;
	(2)  what proportion of the SA80 (a) A2 and (b) A1 rifles failed to meet the target of 10,000 rounds before failure during testing;
	(3)  what proportion of the SA80A1 rifles failed to meet the target of 10,000 rounds before failure during testing under hot/dry conditions.

Lewis Moonie: Both the SA80A1 and the SA80A2 were tested during trials in 2001 against the Battlefield Mission rather than a 10,000 round target. The 10,000 round figure relates to the manufacturer's expected life of component parts of the weapon. The new Battlefield Mission requires the rifle to fire in a number of different environments over a prolonged period of time. These included cold and dry conditions in Alaska, hot and wet conditions in Brunei, hot and dry conditions in Kuwait and temperate conditions in the United Kingdom.
	The SA80A2 averaged 98 per cent. reliability during trials across all climates and during testing in Kuwait achieved 95 per cent. reliability. The target set for SA80A2 is 90 per cent. reliability. The SA80A1 averaged 55 per cent. reliability across the various climates and during testing in Kuwait achieved 6 per cent. reliability.

SA80A1/SA80A2

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what inquiries were made by his Department into whether the use of the stabiliser developed by Warminster was considered in SA80 modifications.

Lewis Moonie: I assume the stabiliser the hon. Member is referring to is the Vortices Activated Muzzle Stabiliser (VAMS), which was designed to improve the accuracy of the Light Support Weapon. Trials were undertaken at Warminster in 1992 using SA80 A1s, but when fitted with the VAMS, the weapon failed to meet accuracy requirements. The VAMS was not therefore procured.

Phoenix UAVs

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if UK Phoenix UAVs were deployed in recent operations in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: No.

Heavylift Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on hiring heavylift aircraft since 1 July 1998 for use in UK defence or aid-related activities.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	From 1 July 1998 to 4 July 2002, the Ministry of Defence has committed to the charter of civilian heavylift aircraft up to the value of £43.9 million.

HMS Nottingham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the future of HMS Nottingham.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	Repair options for HMS Nottingham are still being considered.

HMS Nottingham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if warships will be brought out of (a) reserve and (b) extended readiness to replace HMS Nottingham while she is out of service.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	No warships are in reserve at present. Decisions on whether to change the readiness state of other warships will be taken once we have a clear assessment of the damage to HMS Nottingham.

HMS Nottingham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy warship will be deployed to replace the duties undertaken by HMS Nottingham.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	HMS Nottingham deployed for duties associated with the Five Power Defence Arrangements including Exercise Stardex. She was subsequently assigned to Coalition maritime operations in the Middle East, and was being held at notice for this purpose while deployed to the Asia Pacific region. She was also programmed to undertake a series of port visits in support of our defence diplomacy goals and wider security objectives in the region. It will not be possible to deploy another ship to undertake the full range of these duties. However, HMS York has been nominated as the ship held at readiness in support of the fight against terrorism, and options are being investigated for United Kingdom participation in Ex Stardex.

HMS Southampton

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the repairs to HMS Southampton cost following her accident in the Gulf in 1988; and how long the repairs took to make.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	The repairs to HMS Southampton were combined with the ship's 1989 refit. It is not possible, from existing records, to separate the cost of repairs from those for the refit. However, the overall cost of this package of work including replacement equipment was some £45 million at that time. The duration of the repair and refit was 92 weeks.

Fleet Submarines

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to extend the service life of fleet submarines.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	Plans to extend the service life of fleet submarines are kept under review as part of the Ministry of Defence's normal planning processes.

C-17 Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if the RAF's C-17 aircraft have exceeded the flying hours agreed under the terms of their lease; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the projected cost is of the lease of C-17 aircraft throughout its entire term.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) on 15 May 2002, Official Report, column 640W.
	Since entering service with the RAF the C-17 fleet has now flown just under twice the hours upon which the support was modelled. The additional support costs arising from this level of flying are in the order of £10 million.

C-17 Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the cost of leasing four C-17 aircraft is greater than purchasing individual C-17 aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	The detailed lease costs and the underlying aircraft price are commercially sensitive and I am withholding this information under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Type 23 Frigates

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Chilean Government have expressed an interest in existing type 23 frigates or new build vessels; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 18 July 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 852W, to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).

Army Cadets

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of Army cadets in Bridgwater, Somerset.

Lewis Moonie: I understand that there has been recent progress in the negotiations with Sedgemoor district council in order to identify a suitable location in which to provide a joint cadet centre for both the Army and Air Cadets in Bridgwater. Until these negotiations are concluded, however, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further. Once they are completed I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

RAF Navigators

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the redeployment of navigators when the Tornado is replaced by the Eurofighter.

Lewis Moonie: The planned replacement of the Tornado F3 aircraft by Eurofighter will lead to a phased reduction in the requirement for fast jet navigators in the Royal Air Force over the next 10 years. Those F3 navigators who do not leave at an extant exit point during the draw down will be offered employment opportunities on other aircraft types. They will be redeployed as appropriate, taking account of individuals' skill sets, personal aspirations and service needs.

HMS Fearless

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on HMS Fearless; and what plans he has to bring the ship back into service while the launch of HMS Albion is delayed.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2002, Official Report, column 275W, to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray), and on 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 234W, to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).

Wind Farms

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the development of large scale wind farms in the North sea on (a) existing radar defence and (b) the UK's ability to co-operate with the USA in respect of the Missile Defence programme; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: All wind farm proposals are examined on a case-by-case basis to establish whether they are likely to have an adverse effect on air defence radar. Rotating turbines can send false returns to radar heads and a study is currently being undertaken in conjunction with the DTI to see what measures, if any, can be taken to mitigate this.
	An independent review of the United Kingdom's air defence radar was instituted following the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and this work will inform on-going work on SDR New Chapter.
	No assessment has been made of the impact of wind farms on the type of radar currently used for missile early warning, or on those that might be developed for missile tracking, but there is no reason to expect wind farms to affect such radars in view of their different operating characteristics.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The expenditure for information literature, advertising and campaign material is spread among many different budgets and budget holders. The information is not therefore held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. More general information on advertising and publicity is expected to be included in the 2001–02 departmental performance report which, will be published later in the year. Copies will be available in the Library of the House.

Royal Military Music School

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's total expenditure relating to the Royal Military Music School, Kneller Hall, Twickenham for each year since 1995.

Lewis Moonie: Costs are not available for the complete period requested. Information available is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1998–99 1.805 
			 1999–2000 2.546 
			 2000–01 2.414 
			 2001–02 2.287 
		
	
	The figures are cash costs and represent the running costs of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall excluding the salary costs of students.

Overseas Deployments

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many United Kingdom soldiers were deployed overseas on (a) peacekeeping missions and (b) active service operations in each year since 1997; and how many United Kingdom soldiers are expected to return from such missions by 1 September.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mine Countermeasures Vessels

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mine countermeasures vessels are operational.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 July 2002
	Of 22 Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels, 19 were operational on 16 July 2002. Of the remainder, one is undergoing a refit, one is at Extended Readiness in her base port, and one is undergoing post-build trials prior to entering fleet service.

Ministerial Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Ministers in his Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 June 2000; when and where each meeting took place; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which Irish Government Departments were involved in each meeting; and which Ministers and officials from the Irish Government attended each meeting.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 20 June 2002, Official Report, column 533–34W, by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Peter Hain).

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Overseas Visits

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in his Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case.

Mike O'Brien: The FCO's expenditure on overseas trips on departmental business was £9 million in 1997–98, £10.3 million in 1998–99, £9.5 million in 1999–2000, £9.7 million in 2000–01 and £10.9 million in 2001–02. This expenditure covered travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. Detailed information about individual trips is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All such trips are undertaken in support of our foreign policy objectives and the results are collectively reported to Parliament in the FCO's departmental report. All overseas travel by officials in the FCO is undertaken in accordance with the principles set out in chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, and the detailed rules and guidance set out in the FCO's Code of Management.

Botswana

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what scrutiny has taken place of spending on the programme for supporting and improving protected reserves agreed between the European Union and the Botswanian Government; and with what results.

Denis MacShane: No money has yet been disbursed under the EU programme. A steering committee will meet once a quarter to monitor expenditure when the programme has begun. The programme will also be subject to a mid-term review after two-and-a-half years and an end of project review after five years.

G8 Summit

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for developing a market access initiative for all least developed countries at the G8 level.

Denis MacShane: The G8 Action Plan for Africa includes commitments on market access for least developed African countries. These reaffirm pledges made at the United Nations' Third Conference for least developed countries in Brussels in May last year, and reiterated in the context of the Doha development agenda of multilateral trade negotiations. We are keen to see action by other G8 countries to open their markets to LDCs, matching that taken by the EU in its February 2001 "Everything but Arms Initiative". Acting on the Kananaskis commitment to African LDCs would be an important step in this direction.

G8 Summit

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for taking forward the commitments made at the G8 summit to support African peace keeping capacity building.

Denis MacShane: With its African partners, the G8 intends to deliver a joint plan, by 2003, for the development of African capability to undertake peace support operations (PSO), including at the regional level. This will involve improving co-ordination of existing donor peacekeeping training programmes, especially those of the UK, US and France in West Africa and elsewhere. Joint donor missions will be carried out to assess the logistical and training needs of sub-regional organisations like ECOWAS and SADC to improve, where possible, their capacity. Plans are already well advanced for the co-ordination of G8 support to the establishment of the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. Bilaterally, the UK is already expanding the capacity of its PSO training programmes in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa and considering how best to provide regional PSO training support in Southern Africa.

Thai Airways Crash

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the crash investigation report into Thai Airways flight TG261; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The crash investigation report into Thai Airways flight TG261 has not yet been finalised but we are expecting this to issue shortly. Once it has been published and we have received a copy I will be happy to place one in the Library.

Thai Airways Crash

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he last met and (b) plans next to meet representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand in relation to the British nationals killed in the crash of Thai Airways flight TG261 at Surat Thani in 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), raised the interest of families of British victims in the 1998 Surat Thani crash report with Pracha Guna-Kasem, Chief Adviser to the Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart when he visited Thailand in December 2001. The British Embassy in Bangkok has raised and will continue to raise this matter regularly with the Thai authorities. The most recent contact was on 17 July.

Kenya

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the President of Kenya's proposal to change the law allowing an extension of his presidential term; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 17 July. 2002
	On 11 July a KANU spokesman announced that the party would wait to see whether the constitutional commissioners could deliver a draft constitutional Bill by September, before taking any decision on an extension of Parliament or the Presidential term.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Turkish Government with regard to the political situation in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: We have regular discussions with the Turkish Government and are following developments in the Turkish political scene with interest.

Mr. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Pakistani authorities to commute the death sentence passed on Mr. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 18 July 2002
	I spoke to the Pakistani High Commissioner about Mr. Sheikh the day that the sentence was announced. I reminded him of our opposition to the death sentence under all circumstances, and made clear our hope that the Pakistanis would consider commuting the sentence to one of imprisonment.

Gibraltar

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what EU funding, which is not available to the people of Gibraltar, will be made available in the event of an agreement to share the sovereignty of Gibraltar between the United Kingdom and Spain.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Mr. Hawkins) on 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 614W.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next round of talks under the terms of the Brussels Process will take place.

Peter Hain: We hope to hold further discussions in the autumn.

Middle East

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, column 181W, if he will place in the Library his letter to the Board of Deputies of 20 June; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: A copy of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's letter of 20 June to Mrs. Jo Wagerman, President, The Board of Deputies of British Jews, about anti-Semitic articles in the Arab media, has been placed in the Library. The letter sets outs the Government's concern about anti-Semitic incidents and what action the Government have taken to address them.

Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, column 175W, on Overseas Territories, which seven Overseas Territories have produced and published statistics over the five year period up to and including either 2000 or 2001; and if he will in each case indicate the years in that period that no publication was made in respect of each overseas territory.

Mike O'Brien: Further to my answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, column 175W, on Overseas Territories, the following seven Overseas Territories have produced and published statistics annually over the last five year period: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falklands Islands, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2002, Official Report, column 175W, on Overseas Territories, if he has assessed the recent publication of a compendium of statistics by Gibraltar to be of a standard and detail satisfactory to his Department.

Peter Hain: Following his request to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has recently received a copy of the Abstract of Statistics from the Government of Gibraltar. We will be assessing its contents in due course.

Kamp van Zeist

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the total capital costs were of providing the Kamp van Zeist facilities; and what percentage of those costs were met by (a) the UK Government, (b) the US Government and (c) the Scottish Parliament;
	(2)  what total current costs were incurred with respect to the Kamp van Zeist facilities; and what percentage of these costs were met by (a) the UK Government and (b) the Scottish Parliament.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 25 June 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Scottish Executive was responsible for the conduct of the Lockerbie trial and incurred all of the associated capital costs. These capital costs, currently estimated at £11.5 million, were fully reimbursed by the Government. To date, the US Government have contributed some £15 million to the overall costs, both capital and current, of the trial and subsequent appeal.
	Total current costs are estimated to be £63.8 million over the financial years 1998–99 through to 2001–02, but final audited figures for 2001–02 have yet to be finalised. It is also likely that there will be some further current costs into the current financial year 2002–03, though the sums involved will be relatively small. The site was returned to the Dutch Government on 2 April 2002. 80 per cent. of the current costs are being funded by the Government and 20 per cent. by the Scottish Executive.

SCOTLAND

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times special advisers have accompanied Ministers on overseas visits in each of the last five years; which countries were visited; and what the total cost of each individual visit was.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	Since that date there have been two occasions when a special adviser has accompanied Scotland Office Ministers on overseas visits.
	The details of these visits are as follows:
	
		
			 Year Occasions Country visited Cost of visit (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 1 Belgium 545.87 
			 2002–03 1 Spain 728.61 
		
	
	All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Handbook.

Ministerial Travel

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times Ministers in her Department have travelled abroad at taxpayers' expense since March 2001; what countries they visited; and what the total cost of each visit was.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 11 April 2002, Official Report, column 552W.

Overtime Payments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her policy is on overtime payments for staff in her Department.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office policy on overtime follows the principles detailed in Section 9 of the Civil Service Management Code. This sets out terms and conditions relating to hours of work and how staff should be compensated for working outside their normal pattern of attendance.

Staff Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what have been the total salary costs of each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible in each of the last five years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. The Department is responsible for one non-departmental public body, the Boundary Commission for Scotland.
	Salary costs for the Commission were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 37,018 
			 2000–01 41,885 
			 2001–02 54,163 
		
	
	Prior to 1999, staffing support for the Commission was provided by the former Scottish Office.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 130W.

Grants

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which organisations and outside bodies which were in receipt of grant in 1997–98 no longer are; what the annual saving is (a) individually and (b) in aggregate; which organisations and outside bodies which were not in receipt of grant in 1997–98 now are; and what the annual cost (i) individually and (ii) in aggregate is.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 137W.

Public Inquiries

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her policy is on using 0870 telephone numbers for inquiries by the public to the Department and its agencies.

Helen Liddell: My Department does not use 0870 telephone numbers for inquiries by the public.

Building Values

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the buildings owned by her Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Helen Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) on 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 339W.

Gender Impact Assessments

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the subjects of the gender impact assessments drawn up by her Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 4 July 2002
	The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no gender impact assessments have been drawn up by the Department.

Data Series

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what new data series, separated by (a) gender, (b) race, (c) disability and (d) age have been commissioned by her Department since August 1997.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 4 July 2002
	The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date no new data series has been commissioned in the Department.

Equal Treatment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 4 July 2002
	My Department does not deliver executive services to the public. No baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment has been drawn up.

Open Source Software

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in her Department.

Helen Liddell: My Department does not currently use open source software. The Government will publish its policy for open source software in summer 2002.

Consultation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since 1997, indicating for each consultation (a) if copies were available on-line, (b) if copies were available in print, (c) the date the time period given for responses opened and (d) the date the time period given for responses closed.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, the Department has undertaken one public consultation exercise, on the size of the Scottish Parliament.
	Copies of the consultation paper were available in print and on-line. The consultation was launched on 18 December 2001 and the period given for responses closed on 29 March 2002.

Departmental Report

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of publishing her Department's and its predecessor's annual report for each of the past five years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present from on 1 July 1999. The cost of publishing my Department's annual reports were as follows:
	1999–2000: £1,020
	2000–01: £3,160
	2001–02: £3,869.
	The costs of publishing reports of the former Scottish Office are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Press Officers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) full-time equivalents were employed by her press office and (b) secondees were placed in her press office in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	Since that date the Department has had four full-time press officers. No secondees have been placed in my Department's press office.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if she will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: In 2001–02, my Department spent £180,000 on advertising material. Most of this expenditure related to election or electoral registration matters.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Overtime Payments

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what her policy is on overtime payments for staff in her Department.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 130W.

Building Values

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General if she will list the buildings owned by her Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 339W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Further Education

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effect the pay and conditions of service of further education lecturers has on her strategy for raising standards in the further education sector.

Margaret Hodge: As independent organisations it is for further education (FE) colleges to agree the pay and the terms and conditions of their staff within the context of the overall resources available to them.
	Extra resources have been made available to FE colleges to support improvements in pay and conditions and to help raise standards in colleges. The total funding for FE has increased by over £1.1 billion between 1997–98 and 2002–03, a 20 per cent. real terms increase. In 2002–03, the Learning and Skills Council has increased colleges' participation funding rates by 2.5 per cent. in cash terms, compared to a 1.5 per cent. increase in 2001–02. We planned to increase total spend on FE by over £300 million in 2003–04. However, the Chancellor's statement of 15 July giving additional resources for education, including a 1 per cent. per annum real terms increase for FE in the unit of core funding, will mean more money in 2003–04 than originally planned, and further real terms increases in future years. We also expect to announce in due course substantial additional resources to take forward elements of the "Success for All" strategy for reforming further education and training.
	As part of the overall funding allocation, we are investing more than £300 million in the Teaching Pay Initiative (TPI) to help modernise FE pay arrangements and to recruit, reward and retain teachers and lecturers as part of our drive to improve teaching and learning. We want to see all staff in the sector have a more attractive career structure, increased rewards for their efforts, and support for continuing professional training and development. Developing excellence in teaching and leadership is a key goal in our strategy for reforming the FE sector.

Student Funding

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the unit of funding was for each student in FE and HE in each of the years 1992–93 to 2001–02 as expressed at 2001–02 prices.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 1 July 2002
	The unit of funding expressed at 2001–02 prices for FE and HE are set out in the table:
	
		
			  Unit of funding  
			  FE total funding Higher education 
		
		
			 1992–93 — 6,320 
			 1993–94 3,910 5,970 
			 1994–95 3,810 5,810 
			 1995–96 3,560 5,550 
			 1996–97 3,470 5,190 
			 1997–98 3,390 5,030 
			 1998–99 3,350 5,030 
			 1999–2000 3,600 5,020 
			 2000–01 (provisional) 3,640 4,970 
			 2001–02 (plans) 3,810 5,020

Medical Students

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 674W, on medical degree places, how many students applied for medical degree courses in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 18 July 2002
	The information is shown in the table.
	
		Students applying to pre-clinical medical courses in the UK
		
			 Year of entry Applicants(15) 
		
		
			 1997 12,076 
			 1998 11,807 
			 1999 10,972 
			 2000 10,226 
			 2001 10,231 
		
	
	(15) Home and overseas students applying via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	Despite a substantial increase in the number of students studying pre-clinical medicine from 5,020 in 1997 to 5,928 in 2001, the number of applications to places remains just under two to one.

GCSE

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total GCSE points score for (a) all pupils, (b) pupils in the upper quartile and (c) pupils in the lower quartile was in (i) specialist schools designated on or before September 1 1996 (ii) specialist schools designated after September 1996 and (iii) all schools in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		Average(16) GCSE/GNVQ point score in academic year
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 (a) All pupils  
			 Maintained mainstream 37.0 38.0 39.1 39.8 40.0 
			 Specialist pre 1996 41.2 42.5 43.8 45.0 45.5 
			 Specialist post 1996 37.9 38.8 40.2 40.7 41.2 
			   
			 (b) Pupils in upper quartile  
			 Maintained mainstream 59.4 60.9 62.0 62.8 63.4 
			 Specialist pre 1996 62.8 65.0 65.9 67.2 68.1 
			 Specialist post 1996 60.0 61.5 62.3 63.5 64.5 
			   
			 (c) Pupils in lower quartile  
			 Maintained Mainstream 13.4 13.8 14.9 15.2 15.0 
			 Specialist pre 1996 17.6 18.2 19.6 20.7 20.4 
			 Specialist post 1996 14.3 14.7 15.9 16.2 16.1 
		
	
	(16) The average GCSE/GNVQ point score is calculated as the total points achieved by all 15-year-old pupils in the relevant schools divided by the number of 15-year-olds attempting GCSEs.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if she will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: In 2001–02, the Department spent £11.688 million from its centrally held Advertising and Publicity Budget, which covers information literature, advertising and campaign material. There is additional spend from departmental programme budgets on publicity activity but this could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
	It is possible, however, to list advertising campaigns drawn from all departmental budgets. Campaigns where the spend exceeded £250,000 were as follows:
	Science Year
	New Deal 50+
	Child care Recruitment
	Foundation Degrees
	Adult Basic Skills ("Get On")
	Connexions
	Fast Track Teaching
	Parents' magazine ("Parents + Schools")
	Widening Participation in Higher Education (Aimhigher)
	Millennium Volunteers
	Child care Link
	Modern Apprenticeships.

Youth

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU committee for the implementation of the Community action programme concerning co-operation policy in the youth field, including European voluntary service and youth exchange within the Community and with third countries (YOUTH) is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The EU Youth Committee normally meets twice a year in June and December. As yet no date has been finalised by the European Commission for the next meeting.
	The UK is represented on the committee by one official from the Joint International Unit of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions. The Scottish Executive is consulted in advance about the content of the meetings, and makes its views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations.

Asylum Seekers

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many asylum-seeking children (a) entered and (b) left school in each Government Office region, broken down by (i) age profile and (ii) the first language spoken, at the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: Information on the number of children of asylum seekers in schools is not collected centrally.
	The Refugee Council has estimated that there are in the region of 80,000 children of asylum seekers and refugees in schools in the United Kingdom.

Overseas Visits

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in her Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case.

Stephen Twigg: All overseas travel by officials in my Department is undertaken in accordance with the principles set out in Chapter 8 of the 'Civil Service Management Code', and the detailed rules and guidance set out in the departmental 'Travel and Transfer Guide'. The detailed information requested about individual trips is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Post Office

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices closed in Scotland in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Stephen Timms: I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office closures are not collated on a local authority area basis but will in future be collated on the basis of UK parliamentary constituencies.
	I am also informed that data by country on net post office closures are not available before 1998 but that net closures in Scotland by financial year since then were as follows:
	
		
			   Number of closures 
		
		
			 Year to end March 1999 25 
			 Year to end March 2000 27 
			 Year to end March 2001 63 
			 Year to end March 2002 26

Post Office

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1388W, on the Post Office, if she will make a statement on the level of performance of first class deliveries between Wirral and London in 2001.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 17 July 2002
	Targets for the Royal Mail's scheduled services and standards are set in the licence issued by the Postal Services Commission (Postcomm) and agreed between Consignia and the Consumer Council for Postal Services (Postwatch). As the level of performance of first class deliveries between Wirral and London is a matter for the company I have asked Consignia chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being proposed for Post Office staff and customers to deal with (a) balance disputes, (b) lost or stolen cards and (c) lost PIN numbers for Post Office card account holders; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: These are matters which fall within the day to day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Genetic Modification

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what responsibilities she holds in respect of genetic modification; how this connects with (a) DEFRA and (b) the Department of Health; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: DEFRA has the lead responsibility for genetic modification (GM) policy, sets the regulations concerning the deliberate release and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and funds a research programme to underpin these regulatory activities. Although DTI has no formal responsibility for GM policy, it leads on competitiveness issues and sponsors the biotechnology sector. The Office of Science and Technology (OST) in the DTI supports the Chief Scientific Advisor in his oversight of transdepartmental science and technology. The OST also funds the Research Councils.
	The Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC), the Government's independent strategic advisory body on biotechnology issues affecting agriculture and the environment, advises my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the devolved Administrations, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
	The Government Departments, including DEFRA, DTI, Department of Health, and the devolved Administrations and agencies work closely together to ensure a co-ordinated approach on GM. In particular, all three Departments are represented on the Ministerial Sub- Committee on Biotechnology—SCI(BIO)—whose terms of reference are
	"to consider issues relating to biotechnology—including those arising from genetic modification, biotechnology in healthcare and genetic issues—and their economic impact; and to report as necessary to the Committee on Science Policy".

Mineworkers' Pension Funds

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to complete her review of the usage of the surpluses of the two mineworkers' pension funds.

Brian Wilson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 18 July 2002, Official Report, column 442W.

Farm Bill

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she is making to the US Government on the proposed Farm Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: HMG are in continual dialogue with the US Government at all levels concerning the US Farm Bill (the "Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 2002"). We have made clear to the US Government our considerable disappointment with the Farm Bill, especially in the context of the Doha Development Agenda, which committed all WTO members to substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
	The US believes the Farm Bill is compatible with their World Trade Organisation commitments and have stressed their intention to remain fully engaged in the Doha negotiations. I will continue to strongly encourage them to do so and to put forward practical proposals to achieve the Doha commitments in agriculture.

US Steel Tariffs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the US steel tariffs.

Patricia Hewitt: The US action is unjustified and deeply regrettable. The Government fully support the European Commission's robust response in immediately pursuing WTO action and took a lead in pressing for EU safeguard action to protect the UK and EU steel industry against diversion of trade.
	We are also proactively negotiating in support of the efforts of UK companies to secure product exclusions from the US measures.

Child Labour

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals she has to control imports of goods produced by child labour.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government are opposed to the use of trade sanctions to enforce labour standards and believes that the setting and monitoring of labour standards are matters to be dealt with by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
	The Government strongly support the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which reaffirms the commitment of all ILO member states to respect, promote and implement fundamental labour standards, including the abolition of child labour. The UK has ratified ILO Conventions 138 (Minimum Age) and 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour), and supports the ILO's International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

Russian Federation (G8 Assistance)

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what budget she has allocated for 2002–03 to implement the G8 agreement on assistance to the Russian Federation with nuclear security and decommissioning.

Brian Wilson: The Government initiated a £84 million programme to address the nuclear legacy in the Former Soviet Union in April 2001, and the budget for 2002–03 is £27.4 million. The programme is expected to support a wide range of nuclear legacy issues across the Former Soviet Union with much of the work undertaken in Russia associated with the decommissioning of nuclear submarines, plutonium disposition and the development of Non-weapons related employment in closed nuclear cities.

Russian Federation (G8 Assistance)

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much financial support was granted to the Russian Federation for nuclear security and decommissioning, broken down by title of each individual project supported in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 8 March 2002, Official Report, column 588W, in which I provided information on Government expenditure on decommissioning of nuclear installations and equipment in the Former Soviet Union.
	The UK has provided support to countries of the Former Soviet Union through a Health and Safety Programme and the 'Nuclear Safety Programme' since the mid 1990s. However, there has been only one UK funded Russian Federation project associated with the decommissioning of RBMK reactors. This was in 1997–98 and UK contribution was (£30,000). There is a further £66,000 decommissioning project concerned with reactor sealing at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant of units but absence of a legal agreement covering liabilities, site access and tax issues which we are negotiating with the Russian Authorities is delaying its start up.
	On security, the UK has assisted with the provision of a physical protection system for the icebreaker 'Sevmorput' in the Murmansk Shipping Company's atomic fleet. This was in 2001–02 and total cost to UK was £458K.
	The UK (DTI) has also funded a range of activities with the Russian Federation both to help improve understanding of nuclear safeguards generally and also to improve arrangements for nuclear materials accountancy at specific Russian facilities. The programme has included nuclear safeguards and materials accountancy seminars and training courses for Russian regulators and facility operators (approximately £550k since 1993), and co-operative projects to improve nuclear materials accountancy arrangements at the Mayak RT-1 reprocessing plant (approximately £500k since 1994) and the Angarsk enrichment plant (approximately £110k since 1998).

Employment Relations Act

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review the Employment Relations Act 1999.

Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 11 July 2002 to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda), which announced a review of the operation of the Employment Relations Act 1999. The terms of reference of the review and a schedule describing the Act have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

National Business Debtline

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have received advice from the National Business Debtline; if the pilot project will be extended beyond three years; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: At the end of business on Friday 12 July 2002 the Business Debtline had answered calls from 11,008 different businesses since the pilot started. Approximately 19–20 per cent. of the callers ring on more than one occasion and this is not reflected in the 11,008 calls referred to above.
	The project will be evaluated in the coming months and a decision will be made in the light of the results of the evaluation and in conjunction with the banks, who are our partners in this, as to whether it will be extended beyond three years.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the costs were of the survey, in October 2001, to measure the success of the advertising campaign in the autumn regarding the Business Link brand.

Nigel Griffiths: Pre and post campaign tracking research for the autumn 2001 advertising campaign cost £61,270. This cost excludes VAT.
	The tracking research measured a number of factors before and after the campaign to assess the impact of the advertising activity. These included: awareness of Business Link; claimed source of awareness; recognition of the national Business Link advertising; and usage of Business Link.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the costs were of the advertising campaign in autumn 2001 to promote the Business Link brand.

Nigel Griffiths: The cost of the autumn 2001 advertising campaign was £2.3 million.
	This cost excludes VAT. This total cost also includes the cost of all research undertaken for the campaign.
	This campaign consisted of TV, national press and online advertising, and direct mail.

Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much debt is guaranteed by the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: During the financial year ending 31 March 2002 the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme guaranteed loans to the value of £255 million.
	Since the Scheme started in June 1981, over £3 billion of loans have been guaranteed.

Business University

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on plans to create a business university for business support.

Patricia Hewitt: The Business Link 'U' has been established for the Small Business Service (SBS), Business Link Operators (BLO) and partners, fulfilling the 2001 Small Business Manifesto commitment to "Create a Business University for Business Support". The 'U' is the world's first virtual corporate university for business development professionals.
	Progress so far includes:
	management structures are in place, including the appointment of a 'U' Governing Board, Principal and Director;
	five initial faculties have been set up (core, customer facing, leadership, marketing and business development);
	learning needs analyses have been conducted for business advisers;
	'Subject Area Expert' teams have been identified from within the SBS/BLO network and training will commence in September.

Venture Capital

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received regarding the encouragement of venture capital in the UK.

Nigel Griffiths: We have received no recent representations regarding the encouragement of venture capital. However, the Government fully recognise the importance of the venture capital industry to the UK economy and, since coming to office, has taken a number of measures aimed at creating an economic environment in which it can flourish. We have also been working closely with venture capital firms on programmes such as Regional Venture Capital Funds, the UK High Technology Fund and the Community Development Venture Fund. This has involved regular contacts with representatives of the venture capital industry at both ministerial and official level.

Export Credits Guarantee

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of export credit guarantees in 2001 was for environmental technology or services exports.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 15 July 2002
	For the financial year 2000–01, 1.2 per cent. of ECGD business issued/underwritten during the year was in respect of environmental technology projects or investments. This figure rose to 7.2 per cent. in 2001–02, a five-fold increase on the previous year.

Export Credits Guarantee

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards establishing a trading fund for the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

Patricia Hewitt: Earlier this year on 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1074W, I told the House that ECGD would give priority to its business and systems in order to make itself ready for establishment as a capitalised Trading Fund, my preferred option for its future operation. Work has now progressed sufficiently for me to confirm that ECGD will become a Trading Fund.
	In making this commitment, I am conscious of the need for ECGD to complement market provision of export insurance and guarantees. As a result, ECGD should do more to stimulate the private market and develop new ways of working with them to benefit the UK economy by supporting UK exporters and investors in overseas markets.
	ECGD will have greater operational autonomy as a Trading Fund. This will offer an improved service to customers, who have expressed concern during the programme of work, about ECGD's ability to provide adequate levels of support to exporters. Customers can expect greater clarity and certainty as to the levels of ECGD's support. I have also asked ECGD to improve its customer care for new customers and make it easier for them to access its support.
	Research jointly commissioned by ECGD and HM Treasury from National Economic Research Associates (NERA) to quantify the net benefits to the UK economy of ECGD's operations will be published in due course.
	My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury—who has been closely involved with this whole process—and I have jointly commissioned ECGD and the Treasury to develop multilateral strategies to secure more robust financial disciplines in respect of Government supported export credit agencies.
	Work will now continue to prepare ECGD for Trading Fund status. I will review the position—including the need to hold a further consultation—and will announce a timetable in the autumn.

Industrial Growth

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which industrial sectors within the UK she estimates have the greatest growth potential.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department does not make predictions about which UK sectors have the greatest growth potential. We look at a range of factors that impact on productivity and competitiveness across the UK economy.

Export Licences

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list those countries which have during the last 12 months imported defence equipment from the USA which incorporates equipment exported from the UK to the USA following the granting of an export licence by her Department.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation does not hold records on actual exports of defence equipment from the USA to a third country.
	All relevant export licence applications, including where it is understood that the items are to be incorporated into products for onward export, are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 8 July 2002, Official Report, columns 650–52W.

Export Licences

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will determine export licence application 33863 in respect of (a) an order for CHAFF and (b) a repeat order for defensive infra-red flares.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 19 July 2002
	Licences to export arms and other items whose export is controlled for strategic reasons are issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry acting through the Export Control Organisation.
	A decision has not yet been reached on export licence application 33863, but will be taken as quickly as possible consistent with the need to give full consideration to the issues involved.

E-Commerce

Stuart Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to encourage the private sector to invest and participate in the consumer market for e-commerce services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to encourage the private sector e-commerce and software industries to serve the public; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government recognise the importance and the potential of ICT industries which increasingly underpin much of what is happening elsewhere in the economy. There are many initiatives under way, often in partnership with industry, that aim to encourage growth and awareness of e-commerce and the ICT industries, including UK online for business, the Information Age Partnership and e-Shopping.

Open Source Software

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: I support the use of open source software where it would provide long-term benefits to the Department.
	To date, there is minimal use of open source software in the Department's core IT services, but UNITAS regularly review whether its application would benefit the Department and if this is found to be the case, its introduction would be supported.
	The Office of Government Commerce and the Office of the eEnvoy have published a draft policy on the use of open source software which was made available for consultation from December 2001 until March 2002. The draft policy is available for viewing on the OeE Govtalk website reference http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/rfc/rfc–document.asp?docnum=429 and it is planned to publish the policy in summer 2002. The DTI's use of open source software will follow the Government Policy when published.

Computer Hacking

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of computer hacking her Department has recorded in 2002; and on how many occasions in 2002 her Department's computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers operating (a) within and (b) outside her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: During 2002, there have been no reported or detected occasions that my Department's computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers, either from within or outside.

Policy Review of Fusion

Jackie Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government will publish the findings of the Policy Review of Fusion.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 19 July 2002
	The findings of the Policy Review of Fusion were incorporated into the report on the Quinquennial Review of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, published on 28 November 2001, and as such are already in the public domain.

BNFL

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the viability of BNFL's business plan of 2000.

Brian Wilson: The Department and its advisers review BNFL's Corporate Plan annually as part of the strategic oversight of the company. The 2000 plan was subject to a review as part of that process.

Uranium Mining

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from (a) UK non-governmental organisations, (b) non-UK non-governmental organisations and (c) other Governments regarding (i) uranium mines, (ii) uranium milling plants, and (iii) uranium tailing waste disposal facilities from which the United Kingdom has obtained its mined uranium.

Brian Wilson: None.

Uranium Mining

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent information she has received and what measures she has in place to monitor the health and safety of workers and environmental standards at (a) uranium mines, (b) uranium milling plants and (c) uranium tailing waste disposal facilities from which the United Kingdom has obtained its mined uranium.

Brian Wilson: None. You should take up any issue about the environment with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and any issues on health and safety of workers with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.

Nuclear Power

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's policy regarding unfulfilled overseas nuclear fuel contracts; and what the expected cost overruns are in respect of these contracts.

Brian Wilson: I am assuming the question relates to existing contracts between BNFL and overseas electricity utilities for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rather than to contracts for the supply of fresh fuel. The Government's position is that these contracts are binding, are supported by intergovernmental agreements and should be honoured. Details of contract prices, operating costs and throughput schedules are a commercial matter for BNFL and its customers.

Sellafield

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received regarding (a) current leakage levels of technetium-99 into groundwater at Sellafield and (b) the point source origin of such leakage.

Brian Wilson: None. However, I have replied to two previous questions on this matter tabled by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 13 May 2002, Official Report, column 80 and my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 562.

Nuclear Reactor Safety

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations her Department has received concerning nuclear reactor safety regulations reform; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: In the course of its regular contacts with companies in the nuclear industry, my Department has received representations in recent months on aspects of the nuclear safety regulatory system. Where appropriate, I have taken these into account in the White Paper 'Managing the Nuclear Legacy' published on 4 July, which also made reference to the joint review being undertaken on nuclear regulation by the Government's advisory committees, the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee and the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee. I look forward to receiving comments on the White Paper, including its consideration of regulatory issues, by the closing date for consultation, 18 October.

Nuclear Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  at what intervals reviews are conducted of the level of nuclear industry liability in respect of a nuclear accident; and when the next review is planned to take place;
	(2)  what measures are used in setting the nuclear industry's level of liability in respect of a nuclear accident; and what account is taken of inflation.

Brian Wilson: With regard to liability of the UK nuclear industry in the event of a nuclear accident, the UK is a contracting party to the Paris and Brussels conventions on third party liability in the field of nuclear energy. One of the underlying principles of the Paris convention is that all liability arising from a nuclear accident is channelled to the operator of the nuclear installation on a no fault basis. Present UK legislation requires operators to cover their liability by insurance, (the Nuclear Installations Act 1965) and operator's liability is currently limited to a maximum £140 million per accident.
	Liability amounts are reviewed by the UK along with our international partners and were last increased in 1990. The Paris and Brussels conventions are currently in the process of revision with a view to substantially increase the operator's liability to £430 million per accident.
	On entry into force, the revised Paris and Brussels conventions will provide for a review of liability amounts every five years.

Nuclear Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are applied in varying the salary of the BNFL chairman.

Brian Wilson: The starting fee of £150,000 per annum for the chairman of BNFL was set in October 1999 for a period of three years. The increase, effective from 1 October 2002—equivalent to just over 3 per cent. per annum—was considered to be an appropriate increase in recognition of the service provided by Mr. Collum since he became chairman. This is close to the average level of increase awarded to BNFL staff in each of those three years.

Nuclear Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals her Department has received regarding the extension between refuelling periods for nuclear reactors.

Brian Wilson: None.

Nuclear Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations her Department has received regarding the continued operation of BNFL magnox stations.

Brian Wilson: BNFL informed the Department of its intention to bring forward the closure dates of the Calder Hall and Chapelcross stations on 22 May 2002.
	The Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May with a view to publishing a White Paper around the turn of the year. The role of nuclear is one of the key issues raised in the document. We shall be posting the replies to the consultation on the DTI's website.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations her Department has received concerning the adequacy of security provision in the event of (a) an accident and (b) a terrorist attack involving the transportation of nuclear waste in (i) an urban and (ii) a rural environment.

Brian Wilson: The Department has received a large volume of representations from hon. Members, their constituents and others over safety and security in the civil nuclear industry, including the transport of nuclear material in all environments, in the period since the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of nuclear waste was imported and reprocessed in the UK in each year since 1997; and what the projected amount is in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004.

Brian Wilson: The United Kingdom does not allow the import of "nuclear waste". Spent nuclear fuel belonging to overseas owners is imported for reprocessing in the UK. Details of fuel deliveries and the programming of reprocessing fuel owned by individual customers are operational and commercial matters for BNFL and its customers. It can be noted, however, that BNFL published in 1993 a document setting out the economic and commercial justification for THORP. This included details of the amounts of fuel contracted for reprocessing during the baseload period of THORP's operation. From this it can be seen that the total amount of overseas owned fuel to be reprocessed during that period is 4,547 tonnes.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much nuclear waste was (a) generated and (b) reprocessed within the UK in each year since 1997.

Brian Wilson: Radioactive waste is defined as
	"any material which contains or is contaminated by radionuclides and for which no use is foreseen".
	Such waste is conditioned for long-term storage. Information on the amount of radioactive waste that is held in the UK and also on predicted future arisings of such waste is published every three years by DEFRA and NIREX Ltd. in the National Radioactive Waste Inventory. The most recent inventory was published in 1999. A copy is in the Libraries of the House. An updated edition of the inventory is due for publication later this year. Reprocessing is an activity carried out in order to recover reusable materials from spent nuclear fuel and to separate out the waste contained in the spent fuel. Radioactive waste is not reprocessed. Details of annual throughput at the reprocessing plants at Sellafield are an operational and commercial matter for BNFL.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of nuclear waste were transported by rail in the UK in each year since 1997; and what was (a) the source and (b) the destination of the waste.

Brian Wilson: I am assuming the question relates to movements by rail of spent nuclear fuel discharged from UK nuclear power stations. Spent nuclear fuel from the UK's Magnox and Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor power stations is routinely transported by rail to the Sellafield site in Cumbria for reprocessing. The power stations that are the source of the spent fuel are situated throughout Great Britain.
	The total volume of spent fuel that is transported in any given year would depend entirely on operational factors. Such transports are undertaken by Direct Rail Services (DRS), BNFL's rail freight subsidiary. DRS does not collate information on the total tonnage of fuel that is transported each year. To try to obtain the information requested from the records held at the power stations and Sellafield would involve disproportionate time and cost.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department has taken to (a) review and (b) increase security measures for (i) nuclear facilities and (ii) transportation of nuclear materials including (A) MOX plutonium and (B) nuclear waste following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.

Brian Wilson: The DTI's Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator, sets stringent standards for security at nuclear sites and for the security of nuclear material during transportation. Security precautions are kept under regular review and have been reviewed in the light of the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001. Security has been enhanced since the events of 11 September. It is not Government policy to disclose details of these security arrangements.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations her Department has received concerning the length of time a train carrying nuclear waste may safely be left stationary and the (a) environmental and (b) health implications if this time scale is exceeded.

Brian Wilson: None.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what security measures are employed, and at what cost, during the transportation of nuclear waste within the UK.

Brian Wilson: Security measures for nuclear material during transportation are regulated by the DTI's Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator. It is not Government policy to disclose details of security measures taken in connection with nuclear material. The costs of security measures are met by the operators.

Ofgem

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under what statutory powers Ofgem operates.

Brian Wilson: Ofgem derives its powers from the Gas Act 1986; Electricity Act 1989; Gas Act 1995; Utilities Act 2000; Fair Trading Act 1973; Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976; and the Competition Act 1998.
	It also has powers under the Stop Now Orders (EC Directives) Regulations 2001 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.

Downstream Oil Industry Forum

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference are of the Downstream Oil Industry Forum; who the members of the forum are; when the first meeting of the forum will be; who will chair the forum; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: I have invited the main trade associations in the oil distribution and marketing sector (Association of United Kingdom Oil Independents (AUKOI), Federation of Petroleum Suppliers Ltd. (FPS), Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA)), and some of their members to join me for a discussion on 24 July 2002.
	This will be an informal discussion under my chairmanship and there are no formal terms of reference. Discussion will focus on the following:
	(a) The distribution infrastructure (including its longer-term maintenance, use and implications for security of supply).
	(b) Service to motorists in rural areas.

Carbon Dioxide (Underground Sequestration)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the sites under consideration for underground sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Brian Wilson: While no decision has yet been made with regard to specific sites as planning is currently only at the initial stages, those currently under consideration all lie in the UK offshore economic zone.

Wind Farms

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the United Kingdom's electrical power came from wind power in the last year for which figures are available; and what is being done to increase the amount of wind farms.

Brian Wilson: In 2001, the last year for which figures are available, electricity generation from wind power in the United Kingdom was 965 GWh. This was 0.3 per cent. of total UK electricity generation for that year.
	Wind energy, along with other forms of renewable energy, stands to benefit substantially from the introduction of the Renewables Obligation from 1 April this year. This places an obligation on electricity suppliers to supply a specified proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. The level of the Obligation is set to rise each year reaching a target of 10 per cent. by 2010, by which time its value could be up to £1 billion per year. The Obligation has been set up for a 25 year period (2002–27), providing the right climate for expansion of wind energy and renewable energy generally.
	Wind energy, along with other renewables, also benefits from exemption from the Climate Change Levy.
	The Government have assigned £74 million over the next three years for capital grants for offshore wind energy projects, where initial capital costs are greater, and the technology is less well established, than is the case for onshore projects. 19 schemes for the development of offshore wind farms have so far been granted leases of areas of the sea bed by the Crown Estate.
	We are encouraging a positive approach to new renewable energy proposals, including new wind farm proposals, through regional renewable energy plans and targets.
	National Wind Power's Windworks scheme offers farmers and landowners an opportunity to share in the profits of small-scale wind energy projects developed on their land.

Wind Farms

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many proposals to develop (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms her Department has received in 2002.

Brian Wilson: So far in 2002 the Department has received applications for three offshore wind farms (North Hoyle 90 MW, Rhyl Flats 100 MW, Barrow 108 MW) but none for onshore wind farm proposals.

Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's renewable energy supply target is for 2020.

Brian Wilson: The Government launched a consultation on energy policy on 14 May with a view to publishing a White Paper around the turn of the year. This consultation covers the issue of a renewable energy supply target to 2020, following a recommendation to Government by the Performance and Innovation Unit that this target should be 20 per cent.
	The Government's views will be made known in the White Paper.

Renewable Energy

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which factors have added uncertainty to her predicted future generating costs of power from (a) wind power and (b) photovoltaic cells.

Brian Wilson: Estimates of the future costs of generating electricity from wind and photovoltaic cells are set out in:
	chapter 6 and annex 6 of "The Energy Review", which was produced by the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit (http://www.piu.gov.uk/2002/energy/report/index.htm); and
	chapter 5 and annex C of the Inter-Departmental Analysts Group's report, "Long-Term Reductions in Greenhouse Emissions in the UK" (http://www2.dti.gov.uk/energy/ greenhousegas/index.htm).
	Both reports were published in February 2002 and copies of them are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The above publications discuss factors that contribute to uncertainty surrounding future generating costs of different forms of renewable energy. I am not aware of any significant developments since these reports were published that would affect these factors in a material way.

Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received regarding the intermittency of renewable energy.

Brian Wilson: Problems experienced by smaller intermittent generators were raised in the context of the consultation exercise on New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) and smaller generators. A conclusions document was issued in April entitled: "Government Response to the Consultation on NETA and Smaller Generators of 1 November 2001", a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.
	A number of proposals that smaller intermittent generators suggested to assist them, such as the removal of barriers to consolidation and the reduction of gate closure to one hour, have already been implemented.
	Other issues, such as the cost-reflectivity of the balancing mechanism under NETA, will be examined in Ofgem's review of the first year of operation of NETA. The review is expected shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library. The Government will consider in the light of this review whether further changes are required to NETA.

Company Information

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the information that companies are required to provide her Department, indicating where these items are subsequently published.

Patricia Hewitt: Companies registered under the Companies Act are required to deliver certain statutory information to Companies House. This includes their annual financial accounts, details of their directors and shareholders as well as other notifications of changes or events within the company. Under the provisions of the Insolvency Act, they must also deliver details of any insolvency proceedings.
	All information delivered to Companies House is made available for public inspection, except in the case of the residential address of directors/secretaries who are beneficiaries of a Confidentiality Order who would be at serious risk of violence or intimidation if their address was made public.

Ministerial Salaries

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual cost was of ministerial salaries in her Department in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2001–02.

Patricia Hewitt: The levels of ministerial salaries are recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Body. From May 1997, in this Department there was one Cabinet Minister at an annual salary of £43,991; three Ministers of State at a total annual salary cost of £114,088; and two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State at a total annual salary cost of £47,246. From June 2001, there was one Cabinet Minister at an annual salary of £68,157; three Ministers of State at a total annual salary cost of £106,068; and two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State at a total annual salary cost of £53,670.

Comprehensive Spending Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review.

Patricia Hewitt: The Spending Review involved a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements and a range of staff made a contribution.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 130W.

Departmental Report

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of publishing her Department's annual report for each of the past five years.

Patricia Hewitt: The costs incurred by the Department for design and artwork of the last five Expenditure Plans Reports are as follows:
	
		£ 
		
			  Cost 
		
		
			 2002 32,161 
			 2001 35,006 
			 2000 32,727 
			 1999 38,125 
			 1998 34,962 
		
	
	These figures also include the costs incurred in placing electronic versions of the reports on the Departmental website.
	Printing costs are met by The Stationery Office, who recoup these costs through sales.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas Party; and how many people attended.

Patricia Hewitt: Christmas parties are held on an individual directorate basis and at no direct cost to the public purse.

Secondees

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of secondees from her Department to British embassies and consulates overseas in the last 12 months.

Patricia Hewitt: DTI does not second staff to British embassies and consulates overseas. DTI staff taking up postings overseas go on loan to the FCO at no cost to DTI. One position overseas is currently funded by DTI and in the last 12 months the total cost to the Department has been circa £100,000. DTI does, however, fund short-term training attachments to overseas posts for DTI staff under the "Overseas Attachment Training Scheme". This provides for up to 12 staff each year to work in a commercial section overseas for six months. The total cost to the Department in the last 12 months was approximately £400,000.

Stationery

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1376–77W, on stationery, when the next tender process is due to take place; and where it will be advertised.

Patricia Hewitt: The existing stationery contract expires on 31 May 2003. Currently we are exploring options that include using existing Government stationery contracts or conducting our own procurement exercise. In the event of undertaking our own procurement an advert will be placed via OJEC.

Building Values

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the buildings owned by her Department and estimate the market value of each of them.

Patricia Hewitt: The National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm5221), lists assets owned by each Department and their valuation.

Buildings Insurance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of buildings insurance to her Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001.

Patricia Hewitt: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, para 30.2.5, which notes that the Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost-effective than other accommodation options [Government Accounting, para 30.2.11a]. Therefore, my Department does not normally insure the buildings it occupies. However, in some instances our landlords do insure their buildings and we make annual payments of around £100,000 to cover this. These payments have not risen since 11 September 2001.

RDA (Newspapers and Magazines)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money each RDA spent on newspapers and magazines over the last two years.

Patricia Hewitt: The RDAs are not required to report their spend to this level of detail, which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Each RDA reports a single figure for total spending on administration. Individual RDAs are free to decide the level of detail in their own internal accounting subject to the requirements of Government Accounting and other restrictions.

Public Inquiries

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2002, Official Report, column 1092W, if she will make a statement on the nature of the business requirements referred to; and how many 0870 numbers are used.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department uses 0870 numbers for the United Kingdom Information Society technology helpline (UKISHELP) and the Publications Orderline. The Publications Orderline uses three 0870 numbers (general orderline, fax and Minicom).
	The use of 0870 numbers conforms with the Office of e-Envoy's Guidelines for UK Government Call Centres and offers a number that is chargeable at the same rate from any fixed telephone regardless of the location of the caller within the UK.
	The call centres for both UKISHELP and the Publications Orderline are provided by contractors and an 0870 number has the advantage of providing a geographically independent portable number owned by my Department, so that in the event of a new contractor being appointed the number can be seamlessly transferred without any inconvenience to enquirers.

Written Consultations

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has a designated consultation co-ordinator in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department's designated consultation co-ordinator is Philip Martin of the Better Regulation Team. He can be contacted by telephone on 020 7215 6206, by fax on 020 7215 0480 and by e-mail at Philip.Martin@dti.gsi.gov.uk

Written Consultations

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what format her Department has published the results of its 2001 written consultations.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department is committed to the Cabinet Office Code Of Practice on Written Consultation. The Code of Practice requires that decisions in the light of consultation should be made public promptly with a summary of views of expressed, and clear reasons for rejecting options that were not adopted. As far as practicable, this information should be made available to those who responded, including on the Departmental website.
	Information on the format of results in each consultation exercise is not held centrally.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which consultation documents published by her Department in 2001 were not made available as paper copies.

Patricia Hewitt: All Departmental consultation documents are made available as paper copies.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultation documents published in 2001 in (a) electronic and (b) printed form her Department has monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Patricia Hewitt: All departmental consultation exercises are subject to the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations which came into force on 1 January 2001. The Cabinet Office Code and internal guidance are available to all staff when preparing consultation documents.

Area-based Initiatives

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list for each area-based initiative for which her Department is responsible the amount originally budgeted for in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02, stating in each year what funds budgeted for were not spent and if they were carried forward.

Alan Johnson: The Department is not responsible for any area-based initiatives, as listed by the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Regional Co-ordination Unit.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Financial Services Sector

Jackie Lawrence: To ask the Minister for Women what the take-up has been of equal pay questionnaires by women within the financial services sector.

Patricia Hewitt: The Employment Act 2002 provides the power to introduce the equal pay questionnaire through regulations. We will be consulting interested parties on the design and content of the form later this year.
	The questionnaire will make it easier for individuals to request key information from their employers about whether they are suffering pay discrimination.
	There has as yet been no take up of the questionnaire because it is not yet available to the public.

Returning to Work

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women what recent bilateral discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on access to training for women returners to work.

Patricia Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and I are both committed to expanding opportunities for women returners. My officials from the Women and Equality Unit consulted with officials in the Department for Education and Skills on the unit's recent successful programme of work taster days for women returners. This programme was aimed at women over 40 who had been on extended career breaks or may have never worked and needed help acquiring skills and information to return to paid employment.
	The Government, through their range of new deal programmes and employment service programmes, offer back to work help for women returners. Almost 2.4 million women aged 50 to state pension age are in work and 46 per cent. of women aged 50 and above are learners in formal, informal or workplace settings.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Noise

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines he has sent to local authorities on the procedures for notifying those against whom complaints have been made about excessive noise prior to an investigation being made; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no formal procedure for notifying those against whom complaints have been made about excessive noise prior to an investigation being made. However, the types of noise complaints that local authorities are called upon to investigate vary considerably and not all will be considered by the investigating officer to constitute a statutory nuisance. It is common for complaints to receive at least some investigation before the person or business against whom the complaint is made is approached or advised of its receipt. In some instances this may be because the officer handling the complaint decides to try and witness the noise before determining whether or not it merits further investigation as a potential or actual statutory nuisance. In other circumstances it might actually frustrate the investigation of the noise if the person causing it is alerted in advance.
	Some individuals take exception to being approached by a local authority without any effort having been made to establish the credibility of the complaint made against them, others may be upset that they have not been contacted immediately. It is not practicable to set out procedures that will satisfy all situations and it is often best that the most appropriate response to a particular complaint is judged by the case officer in the light of his or her knowledge and experience.
	An example of the procedures adopted by local authorities is contained within the "Nuisance Guidance Note" published by Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council on their web site at http:// www.ellesmereport-neston.gov.uk/. This sets out their particular procedures with regard to noise nuisance and envisages cases where the complainant may not wish monitoring visits to start until after a letter has been sent to the person complained about. Otherwise it seems monitoring is carried out before or at the same time as a letter is sent.
	In 1997 the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) produced a noise management guide titled "Guidance on the Creation and Maintenance of Effective Noise Management Policies and Practice for Local Authorities and their Officers". This provides guidance to local authorities on best practice and procedures to be adopted when dealing with noise complaints. To reflect the changes in the noise environment within the UK and the availability of new techniques, CIEH and DEFRA have agreed to jointly revise the document over the next nine months. When this becomes available we will circulate it to all local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and place copies in the House Libraries.
	The CIEH guidance is referred to in the Department of the Environment Circular 8/97 dealing with the Noise Act 1996. The Circular provides advice on the investigation of noise complaints but makes it clear that, in the context of that Act,
	"the purpose of the initial investigation is to decide whether or not the noise complained of, exceeds, or might exceed, the permitted level . . .".
	The Cabinet Office promotes the adoption and use of the Enforcement Concordat by central and local government organisations with an enforcement function (details are available on their web site). To date 96 per cent. of all such organisations have adopted the Enforcement Concordat. Under the heading "Principles of Good Enforcement: Procedures" is included the following:
	"Before formal enforcement action is taken, officers will provide an opportunity to discuss the circumstances of the case and, if possible, resolve points of difference, unless immediate action is required (for example, in the interests of health and safety or environmental protection or to prevent evidence being destroyed).
	Where immediate action is considered necessary, an explanation of why such action was required will be given at the time and confirmed in writing in most cases within five working days and, in all cases, within 10 working days."
	In certain circumstances an investigation might necessitate the use of covert surveillance methods, as defined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). The Home Office Code of Practice on Covert Surveillance provides guidance to public authorities in such cases.
	Complaints about excessive noise in the workplace that might be harmful to the hearing of employees in premises that are regulated by local authorities normally would be taken up immediately with the employer.

Crime Reduction Directors

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been allocated to each of the 10 regional crime reduction directors.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			 Region 2001–02 Expenditure 2002–03 Budget 
		
		
			 East 13,569 10,472 
			 East Midlands 15,938 13,277 
			 London 31,911 37,863 
			 North East 11,063 10,081 
			 North West 24,496 27,729 
			 South East 18,409 21,487 
			 South West 12,826 17,102 
			 Wales 8,080 10,162 
			 West Midlands 18,297 18,504 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 19,346 23,593 
			  
			 Total 173,935 190,270 
		
	
	Funding covers measures and interventions under a range of programmes: the Crime Reduction Programme, Safer Communities Initiative, Communities Against Drugs, Partnership Development Fund (interim allocation for 2002–03), Security for Small Retailers in Deprived Areas.
	Crime Reduction Directors also work with their colleagues in the Government offices for the regions and the National Assembly for Wales to ensure that crime reduction is reflected in the delivery of other Departments' programmes. Total funds spent on combating crime in the regions go wider than those administered through Regional Crime Directors.

Retail Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of each Government office in the regions' annual spending for 2001–02 was allocated to combating retail crime.

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on retail crime partnerships in each statutory crime and disorder partnership in the financial year 2001–02.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table sets out the amounts spent by regional crime reduction directors on specific business, (including retail) crime reduction initiatives in 2001–02 and shows these as a proportion of their total spending on crime reduction initiatives. These figures do not include funding spent on non-specific schemes, such as town centre closed circuit television, which will usually benefit businesses in the areas where they operate and which will often have been identified as a priority in consultation with the business community.
	The Home Office does not record the amounts spent on retail crime partnerships in each of the 376 statutory crime and disorder partnerships.
	
		
			 Region Spend on business crime, including retail crime, projects in 2001–02 (£) Column 2 as a proportion of annual spending of regional crime reduction directors in 2001–02 (percentage) 
		
		
			 Eastern 132,262 1.0 
			 East Midlands 221,064 1.4 
			 London 336,225 1.1 
			 North East 262,718 2.4 
			 North West 952,162 3.9 
			 South East 251,500 1.4 
			 South West 94,549 0.7 
			 Wales 132,262 1.6 
			 West Midlands 469,199 2.6 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 325,128 1.7

LORD CHANCELLOR

Magistrates

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates have resigned from the bench since 1 May 1997 other than for reasons of age.

Yvette Cooper: Between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2002 6,659 magistrates resigned for reasons other than age.

Consultation

Don Foster: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the public consultations undertaken by her Department since 1997, indicating for each consultation (a) if copies were available online, (b) if copies were available in print, (c) the date the time period given for responses opened and (d) the date the time period given for responses closed.

Rosie Winterton: The Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation applies to all formal national public consultation documents issued by Departments from 1 January 2001 and the information requested is not available before that date. All public consultation papers since January 2001 have been available online and in print. Since 2001, the details are as follows:
	
		
			 Name of consultation paper Opening date Closing date 
		
		
			 Representative Claims—proposed new procedures 1 February 2001 1 May 2001 
			 Community Legal Service—Financial Conditions for Funding by the Legal Services Commission 12 March 2001 1 May 2001 
			 Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review 15 March 2001 7 June 2001 
			 E-conveyancing—A draft order under section 8 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 19 March 2001 25 June 2001 
			 Distress for Rent 8 May 2001 3 August 2001 
			 Report of the Review Group on the Royal Peculiars 18 July 2001 1 October 2001 
			 Enforcement Review Green Paper 19 July 2001 12 October 2001 
			 The Administrative Court: Proposed changes to Primary Legislation following Sir Jeffrey Bowman's Review of the Crown Office List 31 July 2001 23 October 2001 
			 Payments in to Court in Satisfaction of Claims 16 August 2001 12 November 2001 
			 Report of the Review of Tribunals by Sir Andrew Leggatt 16 August 2001 30 November 2001 
			 General Pre-Action Protocol 12 October 2001 31 January 2002 
			 Payments to Witnesses 5 March 2002 31 May 2002 
			
			 Damages for Future Loss: Giving the Courts the Power to Order Periodical Payments for Future Loss and Care Costs in Personal Injury Cases 13 March 2002 7 June 2002 
			 Freezing Injunctions and Search Orders in Civil Proceedings 21 March 2002 12 June 2002 
			 Promoting Inter-Agency Working in the Family Justice System 27 March 2002 5 July 2002 
			 Making Decisions: Helping people who have difficulty deciding for themselves 10 April 2002 9 July 2002 
			 Selection Procedures for the Circuit Bench and Recordership 8 April 2002 5 July 2002

Departmental Reports

Alan Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost was of publishing his Department's annual report for each of the past five years.

Rosie Winterton: The costs which fell directly on the Lord Chancellor's Department of publishing its Departmental Reports for each of the past five years are: £13,527.07 (1997–98), £8,715.85 (1998–99), £14,614.65 (1999–2000) and £12,109.00 (2000–01). The final invoice for 2001–02 has not yet been received. Other costs of printing and publication are met directly by the publisher, The Stationary Office Limited (TSO), and do not fall to Government.

Freedom of Information

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the review process for a freedom of information complaint.

Yvette Cooper: The right of access to information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will come into force on 1 January 2005. Until that date, requests for Government information will be dealt with in accordance with the non-statutory Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	It is for individual bodies to make their own arrangements for the procedure used to review cases internally where information has been refused and the applicant has made a complaint. However, the Guidance on Interpretation of the Code, published by the Cabinet Office, makes it clear that:
	"[Internal Review] should in all cases be a single stage process. The aim should be to ensure that the applicant has been fairly treated under the provisions of the Code, that any exemptions have been properly applied and that charges are reasonably and consistently applied. It is good practice to allow for such review to be conducted by someone not involved in the original decision".
	Details of the various internal review procedures which have been adopted by Departments and most agencies or bodies which fall within the scope of the Code of Practice are set out in the annual monitoring reports on the Code. Copies of these reports are available in the House Library. In my Department reviews are carried out by the Head of the appropriate Division and the decision approved by the Permanent Secretary. The target time for responses is 20 working days.

Freedom of Information

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what legislation governs individuals' freedom to request information from the Government.

Yvette Cooper: This Government introduced the Freedom of Information Act which gives individuals a statutory right to Government information. The Act will be fully implemented by 1 January 2005, 11 months before the deadline set out in the Act itself. Until that date, requests for information are handled in accordance with the non-statutory Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 832W, on rape, if he will place in the Library the content of the Serious Sexual Offences seminar to which he referred.

Yvette Cooper: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.
	The content of the Serious Sexual Offences seminars held on 2–3 July 2001 and 26–27 November 2001 is described in the annual report of the Judicial Studies Board for 2001–02, a copy of which is in the Library.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, whether the Serious Sexual Offences seminar is attended by judges (a) before and (b) after they are authorised to hear rape trials.

Yvette Cooper: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.
	All Circuit Judges and Recorders are required, by the Lord Chief Justice, to attend a JSB Serious Sexual Offences seminar before they are authorised to hear rape trials. Thereafter, both Circuit Judges and Recorders authorised to hear these cases attend Serious Sexual Offences seminars every three years.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, who teaches the Serious Sexual Offences seminars to judges authorised to hear rape cases.

Yvette Cooper: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.
	The Serious Sexual Offences seminar is chaired by a High Court Judge. The most recent seminar, 8–9 July 2002, was chaired by Mr. Justice Pitchers. The Seminar Director is Judge John Sessions.
	Contributors on the most recent seminar were Professor Di Birch, Mrs. Maggie Dodds, Ms Ruth Mann, and Mr. Justice Crane. Details of previous seminars are set out in the annual reports of the Board, copies of which are in the Library.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what steps he will take to ensure improved education for judges into the gender issues in rape trials.

Yvette Cooper: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.
	The subject of education for judges in gender issues, including education for judges in rape trials, is kept under constant review by the Equal Treatment Advisory Committee of the Judicial Studies Board. Gender issues are also covered in Chapter 13 of the JSB's Equal Treatment Bench Book, a copy of which is given to every judge on appointment.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  by when the Judicial Studies Board will have considered the comments made on rape trials by the HMIC/CPSI Thematic report;
	(2)  what plans there are for the Judicial Studies Board to report back to her on its consideration of the HMIC/CPSI Thematic report;
	(3)  what reports she has received from the Judicial Studies Board in connection with the comments made on rape trials by the HMIC/CPSI Thematic report;
	(4)  to whom in her Department, and when, the Judicial Studies Board will report on its consideration of the HMIC/CPSI Thematic report.

Yvette Cooper: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.
	The HMIC/CPSI Thematic report has been referred to the Criminal Committee of the JSB which will consider its response and the manner and form in which this should be communicated to the Lord Chancellor.

New Cities

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  what criteria she uses to determine city status for local authorities;
	(2)  how many new cities she expects to create in the next three years.

Rosie Winterton: City status is not a right that can be claimed by the meeting of specific criteria, but an honour granted by Her Majesty the Queen under the Royal Prerogative, on the advice of Ministers. Important Royal anniversaries (such as The Queen's Golden Jubilee) are the usual occasions for awards of city status to be made. Awards were made, exceptionally, to mark the Millennium. Her Majesty has not yet expressed a wish to create any more new cities and no awards are foreseen in the near future.

Departmental Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) full-time equivalents were employed by The Lord Chancellor's press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of people who were employed in press or publicity work (excluding internal communications, website developers and administrative support) was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 1997 5 
			 1998 5 
			 1999 5 
			 2000 9 
			 2001 9 
			 2002(17) 12 
		
	
	(17) July
	The increase in press and publicity staff in 2000 reflects new work connected with the Community Legal Service and the Court Service. The increase in 2002 reflects new responsibilities transferred to LCDHQ from the Home Office, Cabinet Office and DTLR.
	There have been two secondees working in The Lord Chancellor's Press Office during this period. The first was seconded to work on the launch of the Community Legal Service in April 2000 and is not included in the figure for that year. The second secondee is included in the figure for 2002.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I have listed the required information for the financial year 2001–02. My Departments did not conduct any campaigns costing over £250,000 during that period.
	LCDHQ:
	£34,002—Information Literature
	Court Service:
	£212,720—Information Literature
	HM Land Registry:
	£140,000—Information Literature
	Public Record Office:
	£33,400—Information Literature; £5,250 Advertising; £28,500 Campaign Material.
	Public Guardianship Office:
	£68,761—Information Literature
	Northern Ireland Court Service:
	£27,885—Information Literature.

Public Record Office

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the nature and status of the Public Record Office projects which were to have been funded by revenue from the 1901 census on-line.

Rosie Winterton: The PRO did not take account of net income from the 1901 Census online service when assessing funding requirements for its other online projects. However, if there were to be any net income from the service, this would be used to fund the future digitisation of earlier census records.

Public Record Office

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  what proportion of the testing programme for the 1901 census website has been completed;
	(2)  whether a million users per hour test has been run on the 1901 census website; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  when she expects the testing programme on the 1901 census website to be completed.

Rosie Winterton: QinetiQ Ltd, which is the contractor responsible for setting up the 1901 census online website and providing the online service, has been making technical improvements to it.
	QinetiQ is currently testing the site and the Public Record Office is also carrying out its own independent test programme. By the very nature of testing, solutions to particular issues often require a more general retesting, to verify that there are no adverse effects on the system as a whole. It is therefore not feasible to quantify what proportion of the testing programme has been completed at any particular time. The Public Record Office's own independent test company has undertaken a test to simulate the experience of one million user per hour accessing the system. These results will be analysed along with the other test results as soon as they are available. The final testing is now under way and it is anticipated that this will be completed by the end of July.

Public Record Office

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  what changes QinetiQ has made to the 1901 census website;
	(2)  when QinetiQ started to make changes to the capacity of the 1901 census website;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on the ability of QinetiQ to put right the problems preventing public access to the 1901 census website.

Rosie Winterton: QinetiQ Ltd, who are responsible for the technical aspects of the service, have made the following technical improvements to the site:
	increased ISP bandwidth;
	dedicated firewalls within the ISP, both to protect the 1901 census online site and also to avoid impact to other sites;
	improved load balancer configuration to divert overload;
	additional database server engine and the necessary configuration to enable operation with multiple database servers.
	QinetiQ has been working on the above enhancements to the site in order to improve its resilience and this should increase its ability to provide a good experience for more users. It will also enable a decision to be made as to whether the system is sufficiently robust to provide general online access. The final testing is under way and it is anticipated that this will be completed by the end of July.

Public Record Office

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  if she will make the agendas and the minutes of the Public Record Office Online Services Advisory Panel available (a) in the Library and (b) on her Department's website;
	(2)  what date has been set for the next meeting of the Public Record Office Online Services Advisory Panel; what the present membership of the panel is; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The minutes of the Public Record Office (PRO) Online Services Advisory Panel are available from the PRO website: http://www.pro.gov.uk/ census/advisory.htm
	These are usually published within one month of the last meeting.
	The terms of reference of the advisory panel, listing the organisations from which the panel membership is drawn, can be found at this site. The agendas and current membership of the advisory panel are apparent from the published minutes. The next meeting of the panel will take place on 5 September 2002.
	Arrangements are being made to place copies of the advisory panel's minutes and other papers in the Library.

Public Record Office

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on progress with the Public Record Office's plans to digitise the 1881 and 1891 censuses;
	(2)  if she will make it her policy to exclude QinetiQ from handling the project to digitise the 1881 and 1891 censuses.

Rosie Winterton: Making the 1881 and 1891 censuses available in electronic form is a high priority for the Public Record Office because census records are very heavily used by family historians, who constitute its largest single user group. Any organisation can seek a non-exclusive licence to use digital images of material contained in public records on a commercial basis. Such licensing contracts do not constitute any form of partnership between that organisation and the Public Record Office. MyFamily.com has already applied for, and received, a licence to digitise the census returns from 1841 to 1891 and make this material available on the internet. Other organisations have sought non-exclusive licences to make CDs of the images of these censuses and some for the 1891 census are already on the market. It is open to QinetiQ Ltd to apply for, and to be granted, a licence in a similar manner.

PRIME MINISTER

Recycling

Sue Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister what proportion of (a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by his Office was recycled paper in each year since 1997; what the annual total cost of these purchases was; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 19 July 2002.

Galileo

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from the US Government regarding the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system.

Tony Blair: I have received no representations from the US Government regarding the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system.

Refrigerants

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Prime Minister whether the proposed refurbishment of numbers 10 and 11 Downing street will include the (a) extension and (b) alteration of air-conditioning facilities; and if he will make a statement on compliance with the Government's policy on the use of HFC refrigerants.

Tony Blair: There is no planned work on the air-conditioning system.

Senior Civil Servants

Michael Trend: To ask the Prime Minister what action he takes in ensuring that senior civil servants maintain proper standards of conduct while carrying out their duties.

Tony Blair: The standards of conduct required by civil servants are set out in the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Catherine Meyer

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has made to the German Chancellor concerning the case of Catherine Meyer.

Tony Blair: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is in regular contact with Lady Meyer. Her case has been actively pursued by both FCO Ministers and officials with their German counterparts. The FCO continues to offer Lady Meyer whatever consular support and assistance it properly can.

Government's Annual Report

George Osborne: To ask the Prime Minister if he will resume publication of the Government's Annual report.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 12 July 2001, Official Report, column 638W.

GP Practices

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 219, what evidence he has evaluated that a move away from single-handed general practitioner practices improves the quality of care that people receive.

Tony Blair: There is research suggesting a positive association between practice size on the one hand, and effective clinical governance and chronic disease management on the other. However, it is also the case that many single-handed practices provide high quality care.

Downing Street (Expenditure)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the methods by which expenditure on the fabric of (a) 10 Downing street and (b) 11 Downing street is (i) formally agreed and (ii) made publicly available.

Tony Blair: Expenditure incurred in respect of No. 10 Downing street offices plus the flat at 11 Downing street is included within the overall Cabinet Office budget. Annual budgets, within the departmental limits approved by Parliament, are agreed by the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary as the Accounting Officer. Actual expenditure against these budgets is recorded in the Cabinet Office resource accounts.
	Expenditure incurred in respect of No. 11 Downing street offices plus the flat at 10 Downing street is included within the overall HM Treasury budget. Actual expenditure against these budgets is recorded in HM Treasury's resource accounts.
	Accounts for both Departments are published annually and presented to Parliament in accordance with the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000.

Johannesburg Summit

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make an assessment of the total amount of carbon emissions that will be accounted for by the attendance of the British Government delegation at the earth summit in Johannesburg.

Tony Blair: No decision has yet been taken on the size and composition of the final UK Government delegation for the World summit on sustainable development. The official delegation will include Ministers, MPs, businessmen, representatives from non-governmental organisations and officials. The Government, of course, want to offset the carbon emissions from the delegations's attendance.

Johannesburg Summit

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the UK Government's priorities for his attendance at the World sustainability summit in Johannesburg in September; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The World summit on sustainable development is important both for the planet and people's future prosperity. We strongly support the priority areas of poverty eradication and the sectoral themes of water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity identified by the UN Secretary-General. The developed world must also take concrete steps towards sustainable development by actions to improve our own use of resources. We are also committed to sustainable development in developing countries as witnessed by the increasing proportion of the UK's gross national income devoted to international aid which will rise to 0.4 per cent. by 2005–06, and through taking forward the important commitments of trade and development made at Doha.

Departmental Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) full time equivalents were employed by his press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 469W and the hon. Member for Chelmsford, West (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 11W.
	In October 2001, my Press Office introduced a short-term secondment programme for press officers from other Government Departments to widen their experience. Eight press officers have taken part in the programme.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Prime Minister if he will instruct the Secretary of State for Health to reply to the letter to him dated 25 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss Irene Boyd.

Tony Blair: I understand that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health has replied to my right hon. Friend's letter.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what format the information provided to benefits claimants regarding their choice of means to access their entitlement will be given; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 874w.

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much it will cost a benefits claimant to collect their entitlement in cash from a post office using (a) a Post Office card account, (b) a basic or no frills bank account and (c) an ordinary bank or building society account; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: People using univeral banking services—access to the banks' basic bank accounts at post office branches and the card account at the Post Office—will be able to access their money free of charge from the Post Office.
	The Post Office also has network banking arrangements with a number of banks which allow customers to access current accounts at post office branches. The banks involved do not normally charge their customers for making withdrawals from their accounts.
	Customers who have current accounts with banks outside the network banking arrangements can cash a cheque at the Post Office, but will be charged for doing so.

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research has been compiled on the cost savings relating to the changeover of benefit payments from payment book to ACT; and if he will make a statement on the results.

Malcolm Wicks: The move to payment directly into bank and building society accounts assures a safe, convenient, more modern and efficient way of paying benefits and pensions and will bring very substantial savings. Against this, we will incur some additional costs, including those to Post Office Ltd. for the provision of the new card account at the Post Office. The precise costs will depend on the number of card accounts.
	Our costings in this area have been based on a number of sources, including the administrative costs of current methods of payment and losses from instrument of payment fraud.

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has made for emergency benefit payments if the system for providing benefit claims collapses; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has contingency arrangements in place to maintain continuity of benefit payment in the event of benefit system failure. The specific contingency response would be determined by the type and extent of the failure presented.

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when and what information will be given to benefit claimants regarding their choice of means to gain access to their entitlement; and whether the information given will be impartial.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is currently planning an information campaign to give customers the information they need about the move to paying directly into bank/building society accounts. The campaign will aim to present information on the changes in a straightforward way that helps our customers make the best choices for their circumstances. This will build on the research we have already undertaken to get a first hand understanding of customer needs. Customers will be contacted directly when it is their turn to change.

Benefits Claimants

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he plans to place an explanatory leaflet in post offices before the introduction of the universal bank, explaining to customers the different options that will be open to them for claiming their benefits once the universal bank is established.

Malcolm Wicks: the Department is currently planning a campaign to give customers the factual information they need to make an informed choice. We are working closely with the Post Office and others to ensure that this information can be provided in a consistent way across a range of sources. One possible option is to provide material at post offices but no final decision has yet been taken.

Benefits Claimants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for enabling the temporary collection of benefit payments by persons other than the benefit recipient; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Already payments for over 40 per cent. of customers are paid directly into bank and building society accounts. They have a number of options for when they are unable to get to the bank or the post office, and these will continue.

Benefit Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) Benefits Agency staff, (b) Jobcentre Plus staff and (c) council officers have been (i) disciplined, (ii) suspended, (iii) dismissed, (iv) prosecuted and (v) convicted for matters relating to benefit fraud in each of the last five years; and how much benefit was defrauded in each case.

Malcolm Wicks: We treat any suspicion of involvement in benefit fraud by the Department's staff very seriously and all cases are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken where necessary.
	The Department does not hold information in respect of council officers.
	The information available on individual cases is in the table.
	
		
			 Outcome Monetary loss (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98  
			 Prosecuted and convicted(18) 5,000.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 99,000.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 2,500.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 2,874.99 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 340.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 7,000.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 9,600.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 9,097.04 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 25,455.08 
			 Prosecuted—found not guilty 7,683.38 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 983.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 2,896.00 
			 Total 172,429.49 
			   
			 1998–99  
			 Disciplinary action—formal reprimand 0 
			 Resigned 2,000.00 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 16,969.45 
			 Disciplinary action—formal reprimand 0 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 0 
			 No action—insufficient evidence 0 
			 No action—insufficient evidence 1,185.95 
			 Resigned 0 
			 Disciplinary action pending 0 
			 Disciplinary action—formal reprimand 0 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 2,400.00 
			 No action—insufficient evidence 0 
			 No action—insufficient evidence 0 
			 Total 22,555.40 
			   
			 1999–2000  
			 Prosecuted and convicted 8,820.77 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 30,000.00 
			 No action—insufficient evidence 0 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 1,118.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 957.56 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 0 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 210.00 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 7,799.10 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 3,255.54 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 1,753.00 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 75.80 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 723.83 
			
			 Pending 4,462.97 
			 Prosecution pending 17,880.80 
			 Pending 1,947.08 
			 Resigned 134.40 
			 Resigned(19) 0 
			 Prosecution pending 11,184.08 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 3,690.80 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 4,224.28 
			 Total 98,238.01 
			   
			 2000–01  
			 Dismissed without prosecution 534.64 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 9,335.84 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 6,683.46 
			 Pending 887.18 
			 Pending(20) 0 
			 Prosecuted and convicted(21) 0 
			 Pending(22) 4,272.33 
			 Prosecuted and convicted(23) 0 
			 Pending 0 
			 Pending 10.00 
			 Disciplinary action—formal reprimand 426.14 
			 Pending 218.57 
			 Pending 1,807.10 
			 Total 24,175.26 
			   
			 2001–02  
			 Pending 2,346.00 
			 Dismissed without prosecution 2,660.72 
			 Pending 0 
			 Resigned 0 
			 Pending 5,000.00 
			 Pending 2,904.00 
			 Pending 0 
			 Prosecution pending 0 
			 Resigned 0 
			 Pending 0 
			 Pending 0 
			 Pending 3,005.00 
			 Pending 0 
			 Pending 150.00 
			 Pending 2,700.00 
			 Pending 126.00 
			 Pending 0 
			 Pending 0 
			 Prosecuted and convicted 180,000.00 
			 Total 198,891.72 
		
	
	(18) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £7,000.
	(19) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £3,186.
	(20) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £3,697.06.
	(21) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £2,820.18.
	(22) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £7,631.37.
	(23) Housing benefit fraud. Loss to local authority funds £2,140.
	Notes:
	1. Details of prosecution cases for 1997–98 are provided but information on cases not referred for prosecution is not readily available.
	2. The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Prior to this incidents of suspected benefit fraud within the former Employment Service (ES) were investigated by the Benefit Fraud Investigation Service (BFIS) and included within the overall fraud returns. They are not identifiable separately.
	3. All the information for 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 covers BA staff only. The figures for 2001–02 are inclusive of BA and ES staff. (Relevant information from ES for April to June 2001 was included in the 2001–02 DWP Treasury report).
	4. The outcomes are recorded according to definitions provided by HMT for the annual Treasury report.

Benefit Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the average cost to a local authority of a prosecution for suspected benefit fraud in the last year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the cost to a local authority of a prosecution for suspected benefit fraud is not collected by the Department, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of the average cost.

Housing Benefit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the baseline figure is for assessing progress in meeting his target of reducing fraud and error in housing benefit by 25 per cent. by 2006, detailed on page 119 of the 2002 Spending Review.

Malcolm Wicks: The housing benefit review which is under way will enable us to establish a baseline level of fraud and error for the financial year 2002–03. The results of this review should be available in autumn 2003.

Automated Credit Transfer

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if benefit claimants who receive payments by order book and who already have a bank account will have the option under automated credit transfer of opening (a) a basic bank account accessible through a post office and (b) a post office card account.

Malcolm Wicks: Yes. They will also have the option of using their existing account. Customers will be provided with the information to help them make the best choice for their circumstances.

Automated Credit Transfer

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the implementation of a national call centre to deal with emergency payments following the introduction of ACT; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: There are no plans for the implementation of a national call centre to deal with emergency payments.

Automated Credit Transfer

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government propose to start the advertising campaign to promote the new ACT procedures due to come into operation in April 2003; how much is to be allocated for this campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The campaign aims to give customers the factual information they need about the choices they have as we reform the way we pay benefits and pensions. This will begin in October 2002 when we will start to issue mailings to customers as the first stage of an information campaign we are currently developing.
	This will be followed by the wider information campaign using a range of media from early next year. As this campaign is currently being developed the final budget has yet to be decided.

Benefit Payment Methods

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department is responsible for monitoring the risk presented by the modernisation of payments;
	(2)  at what level in the risk ranking and evaluation of process stage 2 of the DWP Risk Management Framework, the controllability of the risk concerning the modernisation of payments and controlling the potential for escalation is considered to be;
	(3)  whether the modernisation of payments is considered a risk managed at strategic level;
	(4)  if, in the risk ranking and evaluation of process stage 2 of the DWP Risk Management Framework, the modernisation of payments risk is considered a red, amber or green risk;
	(5)  what assessment has been made of the risk presented by the modernisation of payments in process stage 1 of the DWP Risk Management Framework were the assumption to turn out wrong;
	(6)  to whom the modernisation of benefits payments is risk-assigned;
	(7)  what action is being taken to mitigate the risk presented by the modernisation of benefits payments by his Department;
	(8)  at what level the stability of the assumption that universal banking services will be established on time has been identified in process stage 1 of the DWP Risk Management Framework.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for dealing with all of the Department's Public Service Agreement targets.
	All DWP projects, including modernisation of payments, are subjected to a gateway process staged review and approval by the director of project management throughout their lifecycle. They are subjected to structured independent peer reviews and undertake a formal risk assessment using the Department's assumption based risk identification methodology.
	Risk identification is carried out at a very senior level and this provides an outward facing strategic approach to risk presence.
	A similar approach is being taken with the cross- Government universal banking programme.

Benefit Payment Methods

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of benefit recipients receive payments via bank or building society accounts or girocheque broken down by benefit type.

Malcolm Wicks: Over 40 per cent. of payments for benefit claimants are already paid directly into their bank or building society. This provides a more modern, secure and efficient way of making payments. The table provides details broken down by benefits as at March 2002.
	Girocheques are not a normal method of payment option for any benefit other than JSA. The estimated number of JSA customers paid by girocheque is 77 per cent.
	
		
			 Benefit Percentage paid direct into bank or building society 
		
		
			 Retirement pension, widows benefit and bereavement benefit 40 
			 Child benefit 45 
			 Incapacity benefit 25 
			 Income support (estimated) 18 
			 Disability living allowance 34 
			 Invalid care allowance 16 
			 War pensions 53 
			 Attendance allowance 21 
			 Industrial injury, death and disability benefit 22 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 23

Benefit Payment Methods

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2002, Official Report, column 1058W, to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner), on benefits (payment methods), in what order customers of particular benefits will be transferred to payment via automated credit transfer.

Malcolm Wicks: We will adopt a phased approach to transfer customers to payment into bank or building society accounts.

Social Security Fraud Act

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment the Government have made of the impact of the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 on (a) the public and (b) the private rented sector; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the impact of the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 on public housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions the Government have had with the Scottish Executive regarding the impact of the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 on (a) the public and (b) the private housing sectors in Scotland; what action is planned to address resulting issues; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Social Security Fraud Act 2001 provides powers for a range of measures to strengthen our fight against benefit fraud, including information gathering, the exchange of information overseas and disqualifying from benefit people convicted of two or more benefit fraud offences within a three-year period. We have not received any report that these provisions are having any impact on the public housing waiting list or the public and private rented housing sector.

Green Minister

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who his Department's Green Minister is; when they (a) have attended and (b) plan to attend meetings of the Green Ministers' Committee; what the outcomes of meetings were for his Department's activities; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Our Green Minister is my noble Friend the Baroness Hollis of Heigham and she was appointed to the ENV (G) Committee in July 2001.
	Following the general election in June 2001, the previously informal Green Ministers Committee was upgraded to a Cabinet Sub-Committee of ENV and it is established practice under exemption two of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.
	In October 2001 DWP published its first annual, free standing Sustainable Development report which details progress across all DWP activities. This is available in the Library and on the internet at www.dwp.gov.uk. The second report will be published in the coming autumn.

Disability Advice Officers

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability advice officers are employed by (a) the Benefits Agency and (b) the Employment Service; and how many of them are able to use sign language.

Maria Eagle: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Leigh Lewis. I have asked him to reply to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Alan Campbell, dated June 2002
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the number of disability advice officers and their ability to use sign language. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	Since 1 April 2002 the functions formally performed by the Employment Service and those parts of the Benefits Agency relating to people of working age have been brought together in a new agency, Jobcentre Plus. There are currently within the agency approximately 650 Disability Employment Advisers. No figures are held on how many of those advisers are able to use sign language, but all Jobcentre Plus offices have access to sign language interpreters when required.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentres (New Forest)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement about proposals to close jobcentres in the New Forest district.

Nick Brown: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Leigh Lewis. He will reply to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Desmond Swayne, dated June 2002
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the implementation of Jobcentre Plus in the New Forest area. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	Plans are currently being drawn up to implement the new integrated Jobcentre Plus service in Hampshire. As part of this exercise feasibility studies are underway to examine the options for the future delivery of services within the New Forest area. One such option is to acquire new premises in one location in place of the existing Jobcentres in Ringwood, Lymington and Hythe. However, no final decisions have yet been taken.
	I hope this is helpful.

Lone Parents

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents were on Income Support in the Portsmouth, South constituency in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table. While these estimates suggest a slight increase in the number of lone parents in Portsmouth, South receiving Income Support, they have been drawn from a 5 per cent. sample of Income Support recipients and are subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	
		Estimate of lone parents in the Portsmouth, South parliamentary constituency receiving Income Support
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1,600 
			 2000–01 1,700 
			 2001–02 1,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on an average of 5 per cent. samples taken four times in each year. They are subject to a degree of sampling variation.,
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	3. Lone parents are defined as single people with dependants and who do not receive a pensioner or a disability premium.
	Source:
	Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1999 to February 2002.

Departmental Offices (Gosport)

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether replacement offices for the present Gosport jobcentre and the Gosport Social Security office will be located within Gosport.

Nick Brown: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Leigh Lewis. He will reply to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Peter Viggers, dated June 2002
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the implementation of Jobcentre Plus in Gosport. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	Plans are currently being drawn up to implement the new integrated Jobcentre Plus service in Hampshire. As part of this exercise feasibility studies are underway to examine the options for the future delivery of services within Gosport. One such option is the acquisition of new premises within the town from which the full Jobcentre Plus service can be delivered. However, no final decisions have yet been taken.
	I hope this is helpful.

Care Home Claimants

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of children leaving local authority care homes that go on to claim social security benefits in the last year for which figures are available; and what recent research his Department has published into the number of children leaving local authority care homes that go on to claim social security benefits.

Maria Eagle: Under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, local authorities have a duty to assess and meet the needs of young people aged 16 and 17 who they continue to look after or who have left care. Income-related benefits are therefore not available to these young people. However, other benefits intended to meet a person's special needs, such as non-contributory Incapacity Benefit, may be available. Once they reach 18, care leavers are eligible to claim benefits in the normal way, and in general, the local authority no longer has the major responsibility for their welfare.
	The Department holds no data, nor have we published any recent research, on the number of children leaving local authority care homes who go on to claim social security benefits.
	Following the introduction of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, the Department of Health has commissioned the University of York to conduct an evaluation of the costs and outcomes of young people leaving care. The evaluation report is due early in 2004.

Consultation Documents

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has a designated consultation co-ordinator in accordance with the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultations.

Malcolm Wicks: Yes.

Disability Living Allowance

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many recipients of Disability Living Allowance there are aged under 16 years broken down by local authority in Scotland;
	(2)  how many recipients of awards of Disability Living Allowance are also in receipt of Child Benefit, broken down by local authority in Scotland.

Maria Eagle: The available information, which refers to 30 November 2001, is in the table. Figures for the numbers of people in Scotland who receive both Disability Living Allowance and Child Benefit exclude cases where different members of a family receive the Disability Living Allowance and Child Benefit.
	
		
			  Number of people in Scotland who receive both Disability Living Allowance and Child Benefit Number of Disability Living Allowance recipients aged under 16 in Scotland 
		
		
			 All Scotland 16,400 21,300 
			
			 Aberdeen City 400 800 
			 Aberdeenshire 600 1,000 
			 Angus 200 300 
			 Argyll and Bute 200 300 
			 The Scottish Borders 300 400 
			 Clackmannanshire 200 100 
			 West Dunbartonshire 300 400 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 400 500 
			 Dundee City 500 700 
			 East Ayrshire 400 500 
			 East Dunbartonshire 100 300 
			 East Lothian 300 300 
			 East Renfrewshire 200 300 
			 City of Edinburgh 1,200 1,500 
			 Falkirk 400 700 
			 Fife 900 1,600 
			
			 Glasgow City 3,000 3,100 
			 Highland 500 900 
			 Inverclyde 300 400 
			 Midlothian 200 500 
			 Moray 200 400 
			 North Ayrshire 500 500 
			 North Lanarkshire 1,500 1,700 
			 Orkney Islands — — 
			 Perth and Kinross 200 400 
			 Renfrewshire 400 800 
			 Shetland Islands — 100 
			 South Ayrshire 200 300 
			 South Lanarkshire 1,400 1,200 
			 Stirling 300 300 
			 West Lothian 800 900 
			 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar — 100 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures under 500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation, and '—' denotes nil or negligible.
	Source:
	ASD Information Centre, figures taken from a 5 per cent. sample and rounded to the nearest 100.

Post Office Banking Facilities

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to persuade banks which have not already done so to offer cheque clearing facilities at post offices without charges; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	These are matters which fall within the day-to-day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Benefit Sanctions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants had benefits sanctioned for failure to comply with a community service order in the last 12 months; what the sanction was; and over how long it operated, broken down by sex of claimant;
	(2)  what data he has collated on fixed period sanctions to the income-related Jobseeker's Allowance for each year since the sanctions were first applied, subdivided according to whether claimants have without good cause (a) failed to carry out a reasonable jobseeker's directive, (b) failed to apply for a compulsory training scheme or employment programme where this has been notified to them, (c) given up a place on, or failed to attend, a compulsory training scheme or employment programme, (d) neglected to avail themselves of a reasonable opportunity of a place on a training scheme or employment programme and (e) lost a place on a compulsory training scheme or employment programme because of misconduct; and if he will break down these figures according to whether (i) two or (ii) four weeks' sanction was applied;
	(3)  against how many claimants sanctions have been taken since the introduction of the Jobseeker's Allowance; how many cases were because (a) they lost their job through misconduct, (b) left their job voluntarily without just cause, (c) failed to apply or to accept a job notified by the Employment Service without just cause, (d) neglected to avail themselves of a reasonable opportunity of a job without good cause and (e) other causes; and if he will break this data down by whether the claimants were (i) men and (ii) women and by the age of the claimants, noting for each category the average length during which the sanction applied;
	(4)  how many claimants committing fraud have lost benefit on their second offence over the last 12 months; and if he will list the size of the benefit lost and the duration during which the sanction has been or is being applied, broken down by sex;
	(5)  against how many people aged 18 to 24 on the New Deal a (a) two week, (b) four week, (c) 26 week and (d) 52 week sanction has been applied, broken down by (i) the reason for the sanction being applied and (ii) sex of the claimants.

Nick Brown: holding answer 4 July 2002
	We have taken powers in the Social Security Fraud Act 2001 to strengthen benefit fraud investigation and punish persistent offenders more severely. The provision to sanction people convicted of two separate benefit fraud offences in a three year period came into force on 1 April 2002, and can be applied only to people who commit two separate benefit offences after that date. It is therefore too early for this new sanction to have been applied in practice.
	The new community sentence and benefits measures are being piloted in four probation service areas from 15 October 2001. We are giving a clear message to offenders that their rights to benefits must be matched by the responsibility to comply with their community sentence orders. Sanctions are applied when people receiving a relevant benefit are found by a court to be in breach of their orders. The sanction lasts for a maximum period of four weeks.
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Benefit sanctions for failure to comply with a community service -- order by genderPercentage
		
			  Female Male 
		
		
			 JSA (100 sanction) 10 69 
			 IS (40 sanction) 21 27 
			 IS (20 sanction) 1 2 
			  
			 Total number of people sanctioned 32 98 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are unrounded.
	2. Figures include a small number of people who have been sanctioned more than once.
	3. Data are from clerical returns received at the DWP Information Centre between 15 October 2001 and 28 June 2002, and relate to the period 15 October 2001 to 7 June 2002.
	4. There are four probation service pilot areas: Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Teesside and West Midlands.
	5. IS recipients have their benefit entitlement reduced, depending on the circumstances of the individual or family unit, by either 40 per cent. or 20 per cent. of the single person's personal allowance. Those in receipt of JSA incur the withdrawal of the whole of their benefit but may apply for a hardship payment.
	
		Jobseeker's Allowance: fixed-period sanctions—October 1996 to March 2002
		
			  October 1996 to March 1997 April 1997 to March 1998 April 1998 to March 1999 April 1999 to March 2000 April 2000 to March 2001 April 2001 to March 2002 
		
		
			 Refused/failed to carry out Jobseeker's Direction 215 1,027 2,218 7,277 5,542 3,819 
			 Refusal of place on training scheme/employment programme 616 1,108 380 1,335 838 308 
			 Giving up place on training scheme/employment programme 881 2,631 3,888 6,146 4,236 2,859 
			 Neglect to avail of place on training scheme/employment programme 1,246 1,714 527 1,089 956 144 
			 Losing place on training scheme/employment programme 183 1,049 2,222 5,671 6,465 6,178 
			 Failure to attend place on training scheme/employment programme 14,528 33,208 7,028 12,637 17,652 19,493 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to the number of sanctions applied; data are not collected on the number of individuals sanctioned. An individual may receive more than one sanction in the course of a year.
	2. Separate data on whether income-based or contribution based Jobseeker's Allowance is in payment at the time the sanction is imposed are not collected.
	3. Data on the length of sanction applied are not available.
	Source:
	Employment Service Labour Market Statistics, Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions/Sector Decision Making, for years ending 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2002.
	
		Jobseeker's Allowance sanctions October 1996 to March 2002
		
			  October 1996 to March 1997 April 1997 to March 1998 April 1998 to March 1999 April 1999 to March 2000 April 2000 to March 2001 April 2001 to March 2002 
		
		
			 Losing employment through misconduct 7,155 22,357 22,682 18,888 16,430 15,939 
			 Leaving employment voluntarily 36,573 109,994 103,206 86,226 85,965 73,186 
			 Refusal of employment 4,098 21,906 11,118 19,169 26,370 38,216 
			 Neglect to avail of employment 86 244 146 85 57 52 
			 Others 24,780 40,749 16,268 34,163 35,694 32,807 
			  
			 Totals (all sanction questions) 72,692 195,250 153,420 158,531 164,516 160,200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to the number of sanctions applied; data are not collected on the number of individuals sanctioned. An individual may receive more than one sanction in the course of a year.
	2. Data are not collected by gender, age or length of sanction.
	Source:
	Employment Service Labour Market Statistics, Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions/Sector Decision Making, for years ending 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2002.
	The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen from 2,002,400 in October 1996 to 947,600 in March 2002.
	
		Jobseeker's Allowance: Sanctions under the New Deal for Young People (NDYP)
		
			 Reason for sanction Number applied 
		
		
			 Leaving option voluntarily 12,932 
			 Misconduct 16,835 
			 Refusal of option 1,983 
			 Neglect to avail of option 1,864 
			 Failing to attend option 23,679 
			  
			 Total 57,293 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to the number of sanctions applied; data are not collected on the number of individuals sanctioned. Some individuals may have received more than one sanction.
	2. Figures cover the period from the introduction of NDYP on 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2002.
	3. Data are not available by length of sanction or by gender.
	4. There is no 52 week sanction.
	5. NDYP options are: subsidised employment option; voluntary sector option; further education and training option; and environmental task force.
	Source:
	Decision Making and Appeals Computer System

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the CSA will reply to the letter of 28 May from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent, ref. 1040714323.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 July 2002
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. David Winnick, dated 22 July 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will provide a substantive reply from myself to your letter of 28th May regarding constituent ref. 1040714323.
	I apologise for the long delay in replying to this letter. My reply was sent on 10 July.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 19 April 2002, Official Report, column 1215W, on the Child Support Agency, what estimates he has made of the costs of new IT for the Child Support Agency in the period 2001 to 2004.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 23 May 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask pursuant to his Answer of 19th April Official Report column 1215W on the Child Support Agency what estimates he has made of the costs of new IT for the Child Support Agency in the period 2001 to 04.
	I am sorry that I cannot provide the costs of the new IT for the Child Support Agency for the period 2001 to 2004 as it is commercially confidential.
	I can say that the planned total cost of the project to implement Child Support Reform over the 10 year period of the business case was £651million.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have had their driving licence withdrawn for failure to pay arrears to the Child Support Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Mr. Doug Smith to Ms Gisela Stuart, dated July 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask how many people have had their driving licence withdrawn for failure to pay arrears to the Child Support Agency.
	In the period from April 2001 to 12 June 2002 one non-resident parent has had his driving licence withdrawn and in a further three cases the disqualification has been suspended giving the non-resident parent a further, and final, opportunity to pay outstanding amounts.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in the implementation of new computer systems in the Child Support Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Michael Weir, dated July 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask what progress has been made in the implementation of new computer systems in the Child Support Agency.
	The testing of the new IT system to support Child Support Reform is progressing well. There is no firm date for the completion of testing and associated work. When this work is complete I will advise the Secretary of State accordingly.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when quarterly statistical information on the performance of the Child Support Agency was last placed in the Library; and whether he plans to place such information on the performance of the Agency in the Library on a regular basis.

Malcolm Wicks: The "Quarterly Summary Statistics for the Child Support Agency—February 2002" was placed in the Library on 13 June 2002.

Child Support Agency

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases have been referred to the special payments department by the CSA over the past three years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Bill O'Brien, dated 18 July 2002
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply by me.
	You ask how many cases have been referred to the Special Payments Department by the Child Support Agency over the past three years; and if the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will make a statement.
	Each year the Child Support Agency receives over 300,000 new applications. It has a caseload of 1.1 million cases. Against that background it has referred 31,232 cases to its Special Payments Team for consideration of re-dress or a consolatory payment following a complaint.
	I hope this is helpful.

TREASURY

Sickness Absence (Public Sector)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has succeeded in delivering on the Government's plans in Cm 4011 to reduce public sector sickness absence by 20 per cent. between 1998 and 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 4 July 2002
	These targets were recommended in the Cabinet Office report on the management of attendance in the public sector, ("Working Well Together").
	It is not possible to say at this time whether the target has been met. Management data for the civil service and a number of other public sector employment groups are published in financial years format and will not be available before the autumn.

Network Rail

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the documents which have been studied by the Office for National Statistics in deciding on the classification of Network Rail.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 22 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if copies of all the documents which have been studied by the Office for National Statistics in deciding on the classification of Network Rail could be placed in the Library. (70511).
	In deciding on the sector classification of Network Rail, the main documents that the ONS used were: international statistical manuals—The European System of Accounts (1955) and The System of National Accounts (1993), copies of which are available from the Library. The ONS also studied many legal documents, provided on a commercial and confidence basis. These documents are exempt from disclosure under section 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Office for National Statistics

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 8 July 2002, on the ONS, if he will place in the Library the recommendations that ONS made on each classification considered since 1 January; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 22 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question pursuant to the answer given on 8th July on the ONS, concerning what the recommendations the national statistics made on each classification considered since 1st January and if these recommendations could be placed in the Library. (70752)
	We have already announced that in due course we will put all key national accounts classification decisions in the public domain. We are working towards full implementation of this policy. Four important decisions are already on the National Statistics website with supporting explanations.

Office for National Statistics

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the ONS annual report and accounts for 2001–02 to be published.

Ruth Kelly: The Office for National Statistics annual report and accounts is being laid before the House today.

ZANU-PF

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many United Kingdom bank accounts have been frozen as a result of the EU selective sanctions against leading members of ZANU-PF; and what the value is of the money in those accounts.

Ruth Kelly: European Council Regulation 310/2002 places limits on the extent to which details regarding individual accounts and amounts frozen can be disclosed. However, a total of £76,000 in accounts belonging to two individuals listed in the regulation has been frozen.

Shooting Rights

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what figures he collates relating to VAT raised from the sale of shooting rights; and if he will place them in the Library.

John Healey: VAT is charged on shooting rights sold in the course of business unless they form part of a VAT exempt freehold sale of the land over which they may be exercised. No information is collected about the amount of VAT raised from shooting rights.

Information Campaigns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) full-time equivalents were employed by his press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 5 December 2001, Official Report, column 328W.
	As to secondees, records are not maintained.

Double Taxation Convention

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the draft Order in Council and schedule containing the new Double Taxation Convention between the United Kingdom and the United States of America will be submitted to the House for ratification; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The text of the Convention together with an amending Protocol has been published today as a schedule to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House. The Protocol amending the Double Taxation Convention was signed on behalf of the two governments on 19 July 2002. The text is available on the Inland Revenue's website.

Community Budget

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will be publishing the statement on the 2002 Community Budget.

Ruth Kelly: I have today laid before Parliament the Statement on the 2002 Community Budget, entitled "European Community Finances". This White Paper is the 22nd in the series. As in the past, it covers annual budgetary matters and includes details of recent developments in European Community financial management and in countering fraud against the Community Budget. It also describes the Community Budget for 2002 as adopted by the European Parliament, and details the United Kingdom's gross and net contributions to the Community Budget for calendar years 1996 to 2002 and financial years 1996–97 to 2001–02.
	I have placed copies of the White Paper in both Libraries of the House.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision of the London VAT tribunal in the Kingscrest case on the implementation of free nursing care and the affordability of fee levels;
	(2)  if he will amend VAT regulations relating to the VAT status of care homes.

John Healey: In March the High Court judgment in the Kingscrest Associates Ltd. and Montecello Ltd. case threatened to limit the VAT exemption for residential care. We immediately acted to put this exemption beyond question through the Value Added Tax (Health and Welfare) Order (Statutory Instrument 762/2002).
	The decision of the VAT and Duties Tribunal in this case, and the later High Court judgment, do not impact upon any provision of nursing care.

Game Bird Farms

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many game farms were registered for game bird rearing in the UK; and how many initiatives there were to identify the valuation relating to game bird farms in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for the valuation of business property for rating purposes. One of the difficulties for valuation officers (VOs) in identifying game farms is the fact that most of them are in remote rural areas and operate on land which was, quite properly, exempt from rating as agricultural land.
	Game farms are not exempt from rating, but VOs have difficulty in keeping their records up to date to show when land that was exempt is no longer in agricultural use and should be assessed as a game farm. Billing authorities are responsible for notifying the VOA when such changes take place, but this does not always happen.
	In May 2000 the Game Farmers Association provided information to the VOA that there were about 400 game farms in the United Kingdom. This includes Scotland and Northern Ireland, for which the VOA has no responsibility.
	The VOA also received representations from a number of bodies including Wales Opponents of Pheasant Shooting and Animal Aid, requesting confirmation that specified game farms are assessed for rating.
	In addition, the VOA has been requested by the Game Farmers Association to ensure that their membership and others in the industry are all treated fairly in relation to rating.
	The VOA has responded to these approaches by checking its records to identify which of these game farms are already assessed and which require to be assessed for rating purposes. A total of 40 additional game farms were included in rating lists as a result of this initiative.
	The VOA does not hold details of the number of game farms registered for game bird rearing.

Game Bird Farms

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties which were identified as operating as a game farm had not been assessed for non-domestic rates; and what proportion of those properties were (a) allowed to remain open and (b) closed down, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales has assessed a total of 85 game farms for rating purposes.
	It is not known how many game farms not in assessment that should properly be assessed.
	The VOA takes action to assess game farms as soon as they are brought to their attention.
	The VOA has no statistical information as to the proportion of game farms that have remained open or have closed down in each of the last 10 years.

Airport Construction

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) received on the economic consequences of building new (i) airports and (ii) runways.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport is giving him today at column 733w.

Public Service Monitoring

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2002, on public service monitoring, which targets are considered value for money targets for each Government Department; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The value for money targets are clearly identified in "Public Service Agreements 2001–04" (Cm 4808).

Financial Advisers (VAT)

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimates he has made of the amount of VAT (a) due on commission payments to independent financial advisers and (b) on commission payments to independent financial advisers collected in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will ensure that HM Customs and Excise communicate to independent financial advisers the fact that sales commission attracts VAT.

John Healey: Customs and Excise has set out the VAT treatment of the services provided by independent financial advisers in the VAT public notice 701/49, "Finance and securities", published in March 2002. They will be issuing more detailed information specifically for such advisers shortly. Where VAT is due on an adviser's services, it will be at a rate of 17.5 per cent. There are no estimates available for VAT collected on such charges.

Public Service Agreements

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the 2000 Spending Review PSAs as referred to in paragraph 1.15 of Public Service Agreements 2003–06, Cm 5571, before 24 July; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: As indicated in public service agreements 2003–06, the Treasury has today published details on its website of how all the headline 2000 spending review PSA targets translate into the new PSAs. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Street Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 March 2002, Official Report, column 634, on street crime, what resources are available to the Metropolitan Police, what information he has received regarding those of the New York Police Department; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 22 July 2002
	The net budget requirement for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in 2001/2 was £1,980 million which has risen to £2,038 million in 2002–3. At the end of September, 2001, there were 25,374 police officers in the MPS, a rise of 679 from September 2000. At the same time, there were 10,240 civilian staff (93 more than the previous year) and 669 traffic wardens (60 fewer than the previous year).
	In February I met Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City and Mr. Bill Bratten, the former Commissioner of the New York Police Department to discuss issues of policing, including police resources. I understand that estimates show that in 2000 there were 29,123 police officers and 11,582 civilian staff in London (which comprises the MPS, City of London Police and British Transport Police) compared with 38,779 police officers and 16,629 civilians in New York City.
	The Government is pursuing a major initiative to tackle street crime in the ten forces with the highest levels, which includes the MPS. We have drawn together resources, expertise, and initiatives, from Government, the police and other relevant agencies, to help free our streets from robbery and drug driven violence.

Mobile Phone Theft and Crime Figures

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of offences of (a) theft and (b) robbery relating to mobile phones in the last three years have involved both offenders and victims who are school-age children;
	(2)  how many offences of (a) theft and (b) robbery relating to mobile phones were (i) reported and (ii) recorded by the police in the last two years where those offences took place on school premises.

John Denham: holding answer 5 March 2002
	The requested information is not routinely collected centrally.
	A research study, 'Mobile phone theft' (by Victoria Harrington and Pat Mayhew, Home Office research study 235), included provisional results of a survey of 15,000 11–15 year olds which estimated that 12 per cent. of those questioned had been a victim of phone theft at least once in the last year. However, this survey was conducted in deprived areas.
	A MORI survey in early 2001 of 5,000 11–16 year olds, also quoted in the research study, estimated that 5 per cent. had been a victim of mobile phone theft at least once in the last year. The sample used was regarded as being more representative.
	The research study separately estimated that, overall, in police areas where the research took place, 48 per cent. of all victims of phone robbery, and 63 per cent. of those accused of the offence, were under 18.
	We are working with the police and the mobile phone industry to reduce mobile phone robbery, undertaking public awareness campaigns and joint tracking exercises. Our discussions with operators have recently borne fruit. By the summer all five of the main operators will be able to bar stolen handsets by reference to the unique IMEI number which identifies the handset. All of the operators are also working together to develop a shared database of stolen phones, which will allow them to disable stolen phones if there is an attempt to use them on a different network. We believe that this is a very important step forward, as it should remove one of the major incentives for robbery.
	Operators have also agreed to improve security as they invest in new systems. We are pressing the handset manufacturers for similar commitments. A start has been made, but more needs to be done before Britain's mobile phone system can lead the world in security. The mobile phone industry needs to show more interest in the security of phones they are selling to British consumers and, as the motor industry has done, do more to prevent their customers from becoming the victims of crime.

Crime Reduction

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what capital resources are made available for initiatives to change the physical arrangement of an area to reduce crime in residential neighbourhoods in England.

John Denham: Several crime reduction initiatives provide the opportunity for funding for such projects.
	Under the crime reduction programme CCTV initiative up to £80–85 million will be spent in 2002–03 on 279 CCTV schemes in residential areas. Funding for a number of these schemes also includes provision for improved street lighting.
	Under the communities against drugs initiative the £50 million funding for 2001–02 (crime and disorder reduction partnerships' baseline allocation) comprised 32 per cent. for capital expenditure. Some partnerships' use of the funding includes regeneration works.
	Under the safer communities initiative £20 million funding is available in 2002–03. There is no specific capital element but funding can be used to purchase capital items. Partnerships' plans are still being developed.
	There is also funding from the capital modernisation fund to assist small retailers in deprived areas to improve the security of their businesses—£3 million in 2001–02, £6 million in 2002–03 and £6 million in 2003–04. While this funding is not specifically directed towards residential neighbourhoods, environmental improvements such as better lighting and landscaping of shopping parades may well impact on crimes affecting residential neighbourhoods as well as those impacting on small retailers, since many small shops and parades of shops are located within, or close to, residential areas.
	Approximately a fifth (£380 million) of the £1.9 billion allocated over ten years to the new deal for communities areas and a fifth (£180 million) of the £900 million allocated over three years to the 88 neighbourhood renewal areas will go towards tackling crime. Money allocated to an area is spent according to priorities agreed by the area and its local strategic partnership. Central records of this spending are not kept and so it is not possible to set out how much is spent specifically on initiatives to change the physical arrangement of an area.
	In addition, the cross-cutting review on improving the public space, announced in July 2001 by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has been exploring how Government policies, funding and targets could produce improvements in the safety and attractiveness of the public space—the local environment where people lead their lives. The lead Minister Lord Falconer presented the review's final report to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in April, in order to inform spending review decisions.

Speeding (Surrey)

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been caught speeding by police cameras in Surrey in each of the last five years.

John Denham: holding answer 2 July 2002
	Data supplied directly from the police showing the number of prosecutions and fixed penalties notices issued for speeding offences as a result of the use of cameras are given in the table.
	
		Prosecutions and fixed penalties for speeding offences detected by camera within the Surrey police force area, 1996–2000
		
			 Disposal 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Prosecutions 483 145 326 196 2,353 
			 Fixed penalties (24)— (24)— (24)— 2,195 5,274 
		
	
	(24) Not available

Police Reform Bill

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for the implementation of section 31A, part 4 of the Police Reform Bill.

John Denham: holding answer 16 July 2002
	The legislation to which I assume the hon. Member refers is section 31A of the Transport and Works Act 1992, which is to be inserted by clause 59 of the Police Reform Bill.
	The provision is parallel to the new section 7A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to be inserted by clause 57 of the Bill. Both make provision for blood specimens to be taken without consent where, after an accident, a person cannot for medical reasons give valid consent.
	It is customary for provisions within a Bill to be brought into effect no sooner than three months after Royal Assent. Subject to that, we intend that these measures should be brought into effect at the earliest possible moment. We have already entered into discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on the issue of appropriate guidance to the police and shall be liaising with the Department of Health, the British Medical Association and the Association of Police Surgeons in order to ensure that the new procedures run smoothly.

Capita

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) central and (b) local government contracts with Capita whose performance was reviewed by his Department prior to awarding that company the Criminal Records Bureau contract.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 16 July 2002
	As part of the agency benchmarking exercise, the Criminal Records Bureau procurement team obtained references from the Driving Standards Agency, the Teachers Pensions Agency, operated by Capita Group plc for the Department for Employment and Skills at Darlington and the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) contact centre in Belfast.

Drug Testing

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the impact of the use of urine samples for detection of illegal drugs on the types of drugs used by prisoners; and what plans he has to change his policy of mandatory drug- testing.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 16 July 2002
	There is no substantive research evidence that the use of urine samples for detection of illegal drugs permanently affects the types of drugs used by prisoners. However, in light of anecdotal evidence that prisoners may be switching from cannabis to heroin in order to avoid detection (because the latter can be detected in the body for a shorter period), research has been commissioned from the Institute of Psychiatry and the Office for National Statistics which is due to report in December 2002. The implications of this research will be considered carefully.

Prison Suicides

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides of (a) women and (b) men occurred in prison in England in the (i) last six years and (ii) most recent year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		Number of self-inflicted deaths for males and females in prisons in England and Wales, 1996 to 2002(25)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1996 62 2 64 
			 1997 65 3 68 
			 1998 80 3 83 
			 1999 86 5 91 
			 2000 73 8 81 
			 2001 67 6 73 
			 2002(26) 44 3 47 
			  
			 Total 853 39 892 
		
	
	(25) To 15 July 2002
	(26) To date
	The Prison Service employs the term "self-inflicted death" (which includes all those deaths where it appears that the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life) rather than suicide.

Prison Suicides

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1239W, on prison hospital suicides, if he will make a statement on the timetable for the Prison Service review of the suicide prevention strategy; and what progress has been made.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 5 July 2002
	The Prison Service suicide prevention strategy was reviewed in 2000 and my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw), the then Home Secretary, announced the launch of the new three-year suicide and self-harm strategy in February 2001. Work on the development of the new strategy started in April 2001 and will run to March 2004.
	One of the projects currently being developed as part of the new strategy is the Care of Prisoners project. This project includes a review of procedures for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm (the F2052SH system) referred to in the answer to my right hon. Friend's question of 26 February. A new process for managing at risk prisoners is being developed and will be piloted in the autumn.

Police Stations

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many functioning police stations there were, broken down by (a) police force and (b) local authority area, in each year since 1997.

John Denham: Chief constables have provided information on the number of police stations functioning in the years since 1997. This is given in the table. Police and local authority areas now coincide.
	Comprehensive information is available for the three years to March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002, but in some cases forces were unable to provide data for earlier years. This is reflected in the table.
	
		Police station numbers 1997–2002
		
			 Force: at March 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 35 36 39 39 41 42 
			 Bedfordshire — — — 11 10 9 
			 Cambridgeshire 29 28 25 25 24 24 
			 Cheshire 38 38 36 33 35 35 
			 City of London 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Cleveland 24 23 22 22 22 22 
			 Cumbria 34 34 24 24 24 25 
			 Derbyshire — — — 25 27 25 
			 Devon and Cornwall 71 68 68 65 65 64 
			 Dorset 27 27 26 26 25 25 
			 Durham 40 40 40 40 40 38 
			 Dyfed-Powys 44 47 48 48 48 48 
			 Essex(27) 114 114 114 72 57 55 
			 Gloucestershire 62 63 59 47 42 40 
			 Greater Manchester 82 74 70 70 68 68 
			 Gwent — 57 52 56 49 49 
			 Hampshire 104 102 94 92 89 89 
			 Hertfordshire(27) 23 23 23 21 25 25 
			 Humberside 35 36 34 33 33 32 
			 Kent 32 32 32 32 30 30 
			 Lancashire 109 108 108 108 107 106 
			 Leicestershire 28 28 28 30 30 30 
			 Lincolnshire 43 42 42 42 42 41 
			 Metropolitan(27) — — — 156 144 148 
			 Merseyside 52 51 50 44 43 43 
			 Norfolk — — — 42 42 45 
			 Northamptonshire 12 12 12 12 12 12 
			 Northumbria — — — 36 36 36 
			 North Wales — — — 54 52 51 
			 North Yorkshire — — — 35 35 35 
			 Nottinghamshire 64 42 42 44 46 47 
			 South Wales 138 137 136 125 122 119 
			 South Yorkshire 84 86 82 80 77 75 
			 Staffordshire 39 38 38 38 38 38 
			 Suffolk 27 28 28 28 28 28 
			 Surrey(27) 30 28 26 22 28 29 
			 Sussex 34 34 35 36 36 35 
			 Thames Valley 53 47 55 55 51 53 
			 Warwickshire 15 15 15 15 15 15 
			
			 West Mercia 53 53 53 53 53 53 
			 West Midlands 72 70 69 68 68 69 
			 West Yorkshire — — — 40 40 40 
			 Wiltshire 28 26 24 24 24 24 
			 Totals (28)1,677 21,689 (28)1,651 1,970 1,925 1,919 
		
	
	(27) The apparent loss of 12 stations by the Metropolitan police service between March 2000 and March 2001 reflects transfers to boundary forces in April 2000; Essex (2), Herts (4) and Surrey (6).
	(28) Individual force figures are given where available. Some forces are unable to provide numbers for years before March 2000.

Police Numbers (London)

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra police officers have been drafted into London after the events of 11 September.

John Denham: The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that no officers were drafted into London from other forces following the events of September 11. However, officers from all London boroughs were deployed to meet security needs. Crime statistics published on 12 July (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 07/02) showed that, in the period following this redeployment of officers, there were falls in recorded burglary in Westminster and rises in outer London boroughs. A less marked effect was seen in relation to levels of vehicle crime, but there was no noticeable impact on robbery in Westminster during the same period. Operational deployment is a matter for the Commissioner.

Jurors

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research he has commissioned on (a) improper influence of jurors and (b) intimidation of jurors.

Hilary Benn: No recent research has been commissioned on the improper influence and intimidation of jurors. The Home Office has commissioned more general research into juries and jurors' experiences and perceptions of the criminal justice system. A report is scheduled for publication later this year.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made in south Tyneside.

John Denham: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are community-based civil orders, which can be applied for by the police or local authority, in consultation with each other against an individual or several individuals whose behaviour is antisocial. Applications are to the magistrates court acting in its civil capacity.
	ASBOs were introduced from 1 April 1999. The data given in the table cover the period up to the end of December 2001 (latest available).
	We are currently considering whether any further checks are needed to ensure the accuracy of the number of ASBOs reported.
	
		Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued, as reported to the Home Office, from 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2001 within Northumbria by local government authority
		
			 Area 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(29) 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 Total 
		
		
			 Police force area/MCC(30) 
			 Northumbria 8 5 5 18 
			 Local government authority 
			 Gateshead MB (31)— 3 — 3 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne (31)— — 2 2 
			 North Tyneside (31)— — 2 2 
			 South Tyneside (31)— 1 1 2 
			 Sunderland, City of (31)— 1 — 1 
		
	
	(29) Total figure available only for Northumbria police force area within this period. Local government authority not known.
	(30) MCC—magistrates courts committee area.
	(31) Not available.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he plans to publish a report on the use and effectiveness of ASBOs;
	(2)  what evaluation of ASBOs he has carried out; and what evaluation of ASBOs he has published.

John Denham: holding answer 27 February 2002
	A commitment was made to Parliament during the passage of the Crime and Disorder Bill to review the antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) after two years. A review, covering their use and effectiveness, has been undertaken and will be published shortly.

Work Permits

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether Work Permits (UK) has approved permit applications on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria when the specific skills possessed have been described as IT skills;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to ensure that work permits applied for under shortage occupations criteria are only granted in circumstances where the skill required is classified as a shortage occupation skill;
	(3)  how many work permit applications have been (a) granted and (b) refused by Work Permits (UK) on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria in each month since June 2001;
	(4)  what process of investigation is undertaken by Work Permits (UK) into work permit applications that are submitted on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria;
	(5)  how many documented cases his Department has received from the Professional Contractors Group relating to employers in the technology sector importing labour from abroad in an effort to reduce employment costs; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that the work permit system is not abused in this way.

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 15 July 2002, Official Report, columns 107W.

Informal Warnings

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent informal warnings are used against people under suspicion of committing an offence.

Hilary Benn: This information is not collected.

Life Sentences

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women are serving a life sentence in prisons in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: On 31 May 2002 (the latest available data) there were 5,128 people serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales. Of these 4,965 were male, and 163 were female.

Life Sentences

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women in prisons in England and Wales are serving a life sentence for sexual offences.

Hilary Benn: Data show that on the 31 May 2002 (the latest available data) there were 539 people serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales for sexual offences. All of these were male.

Police Vice Units

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities in the United Kingdom have a vice unit.

John Denham: There are four police forces in England and Wales who have dedicated vice units: Metropolitan, Nottinghamshire and West Midlands police forces and Hampshire constabulary. In the remaining forces issues such as prostitution and pornography are investigated in a variety of ways most often at the level of basic command units (BCU) who would have discretion to form vice units locally. To contact all the BCUs in England and Wales to find out if they have a vice unit would incur disproportionate cost.

Female Prisoners

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women serving a prison sentence have their children with them in prison; and how many children are living with their mother in prisons in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: There are currently four units for women serving a custodial sentence to have their children with them while in prison. The prisons are Askham Grange, Holloway, New Hall and Styal and provide 68 places. On Monday, 15 July 2002, there were a total of 56 children living with their mother in prisons in England and Wales.

Prison Inmates

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prison inmates under the age of 21 years were serving a prison sentence in England and Wales on 1 July.

Hilary Benn: On 31 May 2002 (the latest available data), there were 8,827 sentenced young offenders in prisons in England and Wales. Of these 8,358 were male, and 469 were female.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies there are to assist people who have been trafficked into the UK; what financial support is given by the Government to promote such policies; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: As set out in chapter 5 of the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain", in co-operation with the voluntary sector the Government are looking at how to offer the victims of trafficking particular support so that they can escape their circumstances and, in certain cases, help law enforcement against organised criminals. Where victims are willing to come forward to the authorities, we are considering special arrangements for their protection. We will also consider whether it would be appropriate to allow them to remain here.
	Where they are to return home, we are looking at how to assist them to do so, providing them with initial counselling, ensuring that they have suitable accommodation to return to, and providing help to enable them to reintegrate into their own community and find employment.
	We are developing a best practice toolkit on trafficking, which will be a guide for immigration officers, police and others potentially dealing with trafficking. In particular, it will raise awareness of the difference between trafficking and smuggling, and help those concerned to treat trafficking victims fairly.
	The Government are also working with the voluntary sector to identify the cost implications on the provision of support to the victims of trafficking. The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are running a number of prevention projects aimed primarily at raising awareness and educating potential victims (mostly women and children) of the dangers of being trafficked. We have given £3 million for the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) programme in the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). This involves a number of inter-linked interventions to raise awareness, prevent trafficking and to support community reintegration for victims of trafficking.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of trafficking of people for the purpose of sexual activities have been investigated by police authorities in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: As there is at present no specific offence of trafficking, the police and other law enforcement agencies are not able to say how many such cases have been investigated in the last five years.
	Reflex, the multi-agency response to organised immigration crime, is currently supporting a number of investigations into trafficking. Reflex is also engaged in Bosnia supporting anti-trafficking operations there and, with the Romanians, developing a team to target traffickers.
	We have included a new offence of trafficking for prostitution in the current Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill, as a stop-gap measure pending introduction of offences covering trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation when parliamentary time permits.

Prison Governors

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many number one governors in prisons in England and Wales are women; and in which prisons they are in place.

Hilary Benn: As at 16 July 2002 there are 27 number one governors (or directors, the private prison sector equivalent) who are women. Their locations are as follows.
	Location
	Albany
	Brockhill
	Buckley Hall
	Bullingdon
	Cookham Wood
	Dover
	Elmley
	Everthorpe
	Guys Marsh
	Highpoint North
	Hindley
	Huntercombe
	Lancaster
	Leeds
	Littlehey
	Maidstone
	Morton Hall
	New Hall
	Onley
	Ranby
	Rye Hill
	Stafford
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Swansea
	Thorn Cross
	Weare.

Prison Governors

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women from an ethnic minority background hold the rank of prison governor in prisons in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: Three men and one woman Senior Operational Manager (Governor Grade) are recorded as being from an ethnic minority as at 13 July 2002.

Care Home Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters his Department has received from (a) care home owners and (b) hon. Members with regard to delays in the vetting of care home staff applications by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 18 July 2002
	The information sought by the hon. Member on this sector is not available in the format requested.
	Information is currently not recorded by sector, either business or voluntary.

Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the early retirement of the Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex.

John Denham: We have set out our position on ill health retirement and disciplinary procedures in the White Paper. We have recognised that the current procedure can be damaging to public confidence. Police authorities should consider whether it would be right to exercise its discretion not to retire the officer where public interest in completing the proceedings in a misconduct case outweighs the medical condition. The White Paper says that
	"the Government believes that it is wholly unacceptable for sickness or medical retirement to be used as a means of avoiding discipline".

Rape

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he plans to do in response to the recommendations of the Joint Inspectorate Domestic report on rape; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 18 July 2002
	An inter-agency working group, led by the Home Office and with representation from the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Court Service, was formed in response to the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary/ Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report into the investigation and prosecution of cases involving allegations of rape. The group is producing a detailed action plan for implementing the report's findings. It will detail measures across the whole of the criminal justice system, from police recording procedures and investigation, through review and decision making by the Crown Prosecution Service, to the trial itself and post-trial support for the victim. The action plan is being published today. I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.

Police Pay

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has recently had with the Police Federation with regard to changing the pay and terms and conditions of police officers.

John Denham: holding answer 26 April 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary held his most recent meeting with representatives of the Police Federation for England and Wales on 8 July. At that meeting, he discussed with them the implementation of the package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service that was agreed on 9 May by all parties in the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), including the Federation.

Drug Rehabilitation Programmes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been in drug rehabilitation programmes in the Portsmouth, South constituency in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Information requested on the number of people who have been in drug rehabilitation programmes in the Portsmouth, South constituency is not available. Figures are collected by the Portsmouth Drug Action Team (DAT), which covers a much wider area than Portsmouth, South.
	The total number of people who have been in drug rehabilitation programmes over the last three years has increased significantly. In 1999–2000 the number of people accessing these services was 283. This number rose in the next two years to 307 in 2000–01 and 417 in 2001–102.

Retail Crime

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of money drawn from the Criminal Justice Reserve will be allocated to retail crime reduction.

John Denham: No money from the Criminal Justice System Reserve has been allocated to retail crime reduction. However, £15 million has been allocated under the Capital Modernisation Fund to assist small retailers in deprived areas and funding for retail crime reduction measures can also be allocated through various other schemes such as the Targeted Policing an Safer Communities initiatives.

Derek Jack Tully

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason, in relation to the case of Derek Jack Tully, the Parole Board has imposed the parole condition of non-marital residence against the expressed wish of his wife; and if he will call for a report from the Probation Service on why they attempted a late evening supervision in his daughter's home; on how many occasions they tried to arrange two supervisions on the same day; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The inclusion of additional licence conditions in the parole licence of prisoners serving a sentence of four years or more is a matter for the Parole Board. The Parole Board is an independent body; and therefore, it is not appropriate to comment upon its decisions in individual cases. I have referred the hon. Member's inquiry to the Chairman of the Board, requesting that he reply direct.
	Furthermore, it is not normal practice to comment on an individual case supervised by the Probation Service. I have asked the National Director for the National Probation Service to request a report of the circumstances from the Chief Officer for the Essex area and will write to the hon. Member when this has been received.

Prisons

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits from local probation officers prisoners in category B prisons are expected to receive in advance of release; and how many were received per prisoner released from each category B prison in the last year for which information is available.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 5 July 2002
	Figures on the information requested are not collected centrally. There is no requirement for the home supervising (local) probation officer to carry out a minimum number of visits to a prisoner in a category B prison who will be subject to supervision on release. Probation officers are expected to use their judgment to ensure that there is sufficient contact at a pre-release stage to enable the successful resettlement of the offender and the preparation of a supervision plan.

Prisons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons he has visited; and when these visits took place.

Hilary Benn: Since becoming Home Secretary in June 2001, my right hon. Friend has visited two prisons; Leeds on 8 August 2001 and Belmarsh on 24 January 2002. Further visits will take place in due course.

Policing (Christmas)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were required to be on duty on Christmas day, as a percentage of the normal staffing levels.

John Denham: The information requested is not held centrally. Constables and sergeants who are required to do duty on Christmas day may elect to receive either a payment at double time or time off in lieu equal to twice the time they were required to do duty. In addition, where they receive less than eight days' notice of having to work on Christmas day, they also receive a day off in lieu.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what format his Department has published the results of its 2001 written consultations.

Hilary Benn: The majority of the results of public consultation documents issued by my Department in 2001 have been published in both printed and electronic form.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether consultation documents published by his Department in 2001 carried the consultation criteria as recommended in the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Hilary Benn: The seven consultation criteria were published in one of the consultation documents issued by the Home Department in 2001.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has a designated consultation co-ordinator in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Hilary Benn: Yes.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultation documents published in 2001 in (a) electronic and (b) printed form his Department has monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Hilary Benn: All the consultation documents published by my Department in 2001 were available in both written and electronic form. 13 published consultation documents were monitored and evaluated in accordance with the Code of Practice on Written Consultations.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints his Department has received about its 2001 consultations in (a) electronic and (b) printed form.

Hilary Benn: The Home Department received two complaints about consultation exercises published in 2001. The first concerned the consultation exercise on 'justification for the use of X/Gamma radiation scanners by the Immigration Service for detecting people seeking to enter the United Kingdom illegally in vehicles and/or freight, by clandestine means' and was received in printed format. The second concerned the 'consultation paper on revising the definition of categories of deaths of members of the public during or following police contact' and was in electronic format.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which consultation documents published by his Department in 2001 were not made available as paper copies.

Hilary Benn: All the public consultation documents published by the Home Department in 2001 were available in printed form.

Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long his Department allowed for consultation on each consultation document it published in 2001 in (a) electronic and (b) printed form.

Hilary Benn: I have listed details of the length of consultation period allowed for those public consultation exercises published by the Home Department in 2001. The length of the consultation period was the same for documents in printed and electronic form.
	
		
			 Title of Consultation Length of consultation period 
		
		
			 Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Review of the Ethical Review Process 11 January 2001 to 23 March 2001 
			 Animal Rights Extremism: Government Strategy 28 March 2001 to 27 April 2001 
			 Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 22 February 2001 to 15 May 2001 
			 Proceeds of Crime: Consultation on draft legislation 5 March 2001 to 29 May 2001 
			 The Law on Extradition: a review 12 March 2001 to 8 June 2001 
			 Review of the Victim's Charter 27 February 2001 to 15 June 2001 
			 Guidance for the use of an intermediary under S.29 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 8 May 2001 to 29 June 2001 
			 Funding Community Groups: a consultation document 3 May 2001 to 23 July 2001 
			 The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974: A consultation leaflet 1 May 2001 to 31 July 2001 
			 Justification for the use of X/Gamma radiation scanners by the Immigration Service for detecting people seeking to enter the United Kingdom illegally in vehicles and/or freight, by clandestine means 17 July 2001 to 27 August 2001 
			 Extension of the Civil Penalty to rail freight shuttle wagons 18 July 2001 to 29 August 2001 
			 Consultation Paper on the Review of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 30 July 2001 to 19 October 2001 
			 Making Punishment Work: Review of the Sentencing Framework for England and Wales 5 July 2001 to 31 October 2001 
			 Assessing Communications Data Draft Code of Practice 13 August 2001 to 2 November 2001 
			 Review of Family visitor appeals 29 October 2001 to 14 December 2001 
			 Ratification of the European Union Driving Disqualification Convention 25 September 2001 to 18 December 2001 
			 Consultation paper on revising the definition of categories of deaths of members of the public during or following police contact 14 December 2001 to 31 January 2002

Consultation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the public consultations undertaken by his Department since 1997, indicating for each consultation (a) if copies were available online, (b) if copies were available in print, (c) the date the time period given for responses opened and (d) the date the time period given for responses closed.

David Blunkett: The Home Department holds central records on issued consultations from 1997 for the Home Office, its non-departmental public bodies and agencies. Current consultation papers can be found on the website on http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult_papers.htm. Archived consultation papers can be found on http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consuarchive.htm.
	Providing all the details requested would involve disproportionate cost. However, the online archive does contain details of the consultation period for most of the consultation documents listed.
	Listed in the table are the details available for 2001–02 Home Office consultation exercises.
	
		
			 Title of consultation Electronic copies available Printed copies available Start date of consultation period End date of consultation period 
		
		
			 Animal (Scientific Procedures Act 1986) Review of the Ethical Review Process Y Y 11 January 2001 23 March 2001 
			 Animal Rights Extremism: Government strategy Y Y 28 March 2001 27 April 2001 
			 Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 New Laws for A successful multi racial Britain Y Y 22 February 2001 15 May 2001 
			 Proceeds of Crime—consultation on draft legislation Y Y 5 March 2001 29 May 2001 
			 The Law on Extradition—a review Y Y 12 March 2001 8 June 2001 
			 Review of the Victim's Charter Y Y 27 February 2001 15 June 2001 
			 Guidance on the use of an Intermediary under Section 29 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Y Y 8 May 2001 29 June 2001 
			 Funding Community Groups Y Y 3 May 2001 23 July 2001 
			 Review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 Y Y 1 May 2001 31 July 2001 
			 Justification for the use of X/Gamma radiation scanners by the Immigration Service for detecting people seeking to enter the UK illegally in vehicles and/or freight, by clandestine means Y Y 17 July 2001 27 August 2001 
			 Extension of the Civil Penalty to rail freight shuttle wagons Y Y 18 July 2001 29 August 2001 
			 Review of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 Y Y 30 July 2001 19 October 2001 
			 Making Punishment Work: Review of the Sentencing Framework for England and Wales Y Y 5 July 2001 31 October 2001 
			 Assessing Communications Data Draft Code of Practice Y Y 13 August 2001 2 November 2001 
			 Review of Family Visitor Appeals Y Y 29 October 2001 14 December 2001 
			 Ratification of the EU Driving Disqualification Convention Y Y 25 September 2001 18 December 2001 
			 Revising the definition of categories of deaths of members of the public during or following police contact Y Y 14 December 2001 31 January 2002 
			 Police and Criminal Evidence Act—Code A Y Y 11 March 2002 19 February 2002 
			 The Motor Salvage Operators Regulations 2002 (Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001) Y Y 4 January 2002 1 March 2002 
			 Secure Borders, Safe Haven White Paper Consultation Y Y 7 February 2002 21 March 2002 
			 Extension of controlled drugs licensing Y Y 11 February 2002 1 May 2002 
			 Proposed changes to the Misuse of Drugs legislation Y Y 4 March 2002 17 May 2002 
			 Review of Crime Reduction Training Y Y 4 March 2002 27 May 2002 
			 Review on Workpermit Policy on Recruitment and Employment Agencies and Contractors Y Y 18 March 2002 14 June 2002 
			 Charging for the consideration of Workpermit applications Y Y 15 April 2002 5 July 2002

Consultation

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public consultations have been commenced by his Department since 1 April; and what the (a) closing date and (b) website address of each were.

Hilary Benn: The details requested are listed in the table:
	
		
			 Title of consultation Closing date Website address 
		
		
			 Charging for the consideration of work permit applications 5 July 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult—papers.htm 
			
			 Merger of CDRPs/DAT: consultation exercise 26 July 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult—papers.htm 
			
			 Police and Criminal Evidence Act consultation on Code of Practice (Code B-E) 16 August 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult—papers.htm 
			
			 Working Holiday Maker Scheme consultation document 23 August 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult—papers.htm 
			
			 Review of Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme 2002 23 August 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/consult—papers.htm 
			
			 Breaking the Circle: A report of the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 13 September 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/new.htm 
			
			 Criminal Justice System White Paper: Justice for All 9 October 2002 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/new.htm 
			
			 Entitlement Card and Identity Fraud: A Consultation Paper 10 January 2003 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/new.htm

Police Houses

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each English police authority, how many specialist police houses have been sold in the past three years.

John Denham: holding answer 22 July 2002
	The only information available relates to the sale of police dwellings. The number of dwellings sold in the past three years by English police authorities is detailed in the table.
	In its report entitled "Action stations—Improving the Management of the Police Estate" (published March 1999), the Audit Commission recommended that police forces identify and dispose of buildings that were unsuitable or had maintenance liabilities which were beyond the forces' means. further it recommended that the remaining residential estate was rationalised. In some cases, for example, it may be appropriate to sell off some vacant accommodation in order to refurbish and bring back into use other accommodation.
	In those areas where high housing costs are hindering recruitment and retention of police officers, allocations from the starter home initiative (SHI) will help about 1,100 police staff to buy first homes over the three years to March 2004. (In London about 550 police staff are expected to benefit from the first round allocations announced in September 2001).
	We have also recently agreed with the Department of Health that the role of the national health service housing co-ordinator will be extended to cover the police service and a secondee from the police service is due to join the co-ordinator's team shortly.
	
		Number of police dwellings sold
		
			 Police authority 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 19 8 8 
			 Bedfordshire 7 1 2 
			 Cambridgeshire 15 54 5 
			 Cheshire 18 10 8 
			 City of London 1 2 1 
			 Cleveland 0 0 1 
			 Cumbria 10 34 12 
			  
			 Derbyshire 8 9 5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13 8 5 
			 Dorset 12 7 14 
			 Durham 6 3 1 
			 Essex 19 34 36 
			 Gloucestershire 10 37 8 
			 Greater Manchester 21 17 16 
			 Hampshire 14 30 18 
			 Hertfordshire 106 141 34 
			 Humberside 13 14 8 
			 Kent 28 33 19 
			 Lancashire 24 21 12 
			 Leicestershire 2 1 0 
			 Lincolnshire 5 11 7 
			 Merseyside 1 5 5 
			 Metropolitan 138 265 149 
			 Norfolk 3 3 3 
			 Northamptonshire 1 9 6 
			 Northumbria 30 35 30 
			 North Yorkshire 11 82 18 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 13 2 
			 South Yorkshire 8 6 7 
			 Staffordshire 10 10 15 
			 Suffolk 4 4 7 
			 Surrey 30 16 14 
			 Sussex 35 56 16 
			 Thames Valley 46 33 25 
			 Warwickshire 6 8 0 
			 West Mercia 11 5 1 
			 West Midlands 47 45 39 
			 West Yorkshire 9 11 14 
			 Wiltshire 13 9 3 
			  
			 Total 762 1,090 574

Cyber-terrorism

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the cyber-terrorism threat to the energy industry; and what assessment has been made of NISCC cyber-terrorism counter measures since January.

David Blunkett: holding answer 17 July 2002
	No representations from the energy industry have been received to the date concerning the threat from cyber- terrorism, but the National Infra Structure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) keeps its assessment of the threat of electronic attack to the United Kingdom's critical national infrastructure, which includes the energy industry, under constant review.

Murder and Manslaughter Statistics

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people, convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter who have been released from prison or other custodial institutions, have recommitted (i) murder and (ii) manslaughter following their release in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: For the period 1992 to 2001, those people known to have recommitted homicide following release for their first offence are given in the table. The figures exclude persons who may have been convicted outside England and Wales (for whom there is incomplete information).
	
		Offenders convicted of homicide who have committed a second homicide following release
		
			 Year second offence recorded Number of offenders 
		
		
			 1992 5 
			 1993 2 
			 1994 2 
			 1995 6 
			 1996 1 
			 1997 2 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 5 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 0

Computer Hacking

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of computer hacking UNIRAS has recorded in 2002; and on how many occasions in 2002 his Department's computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers operating (a) within and (b) outside his Department.

David Blunkett: holding answer 17 July 2002
	Between 1 January and 12 July 2002 the Unified Instant Reporting and Alert Scheme (UNIRAS) received 21 reports of hacking incidents. No cases of computer hacking have been detected in the Home Office this year.

Road Traffic Penalties

Alice Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department plans to publish its response to the road traffic penalties consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: We are currently in the final stages of producing the Government's response to the consultation exercise on road traffic penalties. We hope to have this published before the summer recess.

London Probation Service

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is towards the requirement for preparation of pre-sentence reports by the London Probation Service; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The courts have a statutory duty and right to commission pre-sentence reports where they think it appropriate to do so and the area Probation Service has a statutory duty to provide them. A pre-sentence report may take the shorter form of a Specific Sentence Report where there is reason to believe that the offender presents a lower risk or the court has a specific sentence in mind. National Standards for the supervision of offenders in the community 2000 require pre-sentence reports to be prepared within a maximum of 15 working days of the court's request. This applies in London as elsewhere in England and Wales.

London Probation Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) budget and (b) spending has been of the London Probation Service since 1994; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The budget for the London Probation Service from 1994–95 is set out in the table. This is based on the original main service grant allocation issued by the Home Office. The actual spending is not available as the former Inner-London Probation Service was part of the Metropolitan Police District and has not submitted grant claim forms to the Home Office.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Financial year Budget 
		
		
			 1994–95 72.0 
			 1995–96 72.1 
			 1996–97 78.9 
			 1997–98 77.8 
			 1998–99 77.1 
			 1999–2000 80.4 
			 2000–01 84.7 
			 2001–02 88.0 
			 2002–03 92.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The sum of £2.7 million in 2001–02 and £3.7 million in 2002–03 were subsequently transferred to the Department of Health for expenditure relating to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.
	2. The budgets for 2001–02 and 2002–03 exclude any provision for the Family Court Welfare Service which was transferred to the Lord Chancellor's Department from April 2001. It is estimated that such expenditure was about 7 per cent. of the budget in 2000–01.
	3. The budgets for 2001–02 and 2002–03 include small amounts for small capital works and the capital charges on freehold buildings. The 2002–03 budget also includes small amounts for depreciation of fixed assets and non-reclaimable VAT.

London Probation Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio is of staff to clients operated by the London Probation Service.

Hilary Benn: The number of clients (offenders) assigned to the staff in the London probation area is currently 32,000. Given that part time staff are on average 0.5 of the overall staffing structure, this gives full time equivalent staffing of 2,402 (including administrative and headquarters staff) giving a client/staff ratio of 13.3:1.

London Probation Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sex offenders, (b) drug abusers, (c) domestic violence offenders and (d) mentally ill persons are being dealt with by the London Probation Service.

Hilary Benn: At the end of December 2000, 1,500 offenders sentenced for indictable sexual offences and 5,400 offenders sentenced for indictable drugs offences were being supervised by the London probation area. Information on domestic violence offenders and mentally ill offenders is not available.

Prison and Probation Service Investigations

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the target to close 70 per cent. of prison and probation service investigations within 12 weeks was not met.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The target to which the hon. Member refers is set by the Ombudsman for Prisons and Probation. The Ombudsman sets a target of issuing a final report of his investigations within 12 weeks. In his annual report for 2000–01, published on 27 June, the Ombudsman reports a decline in performance in meeting this target in the case of complaints from prisoners, from 73 per cent. of cases dealt with in 1999–2000 to 63 per cent. of cases dealt with in 2000–01. As explained in his report, the drop in performance was largely brought about by a 53 per cent. increase in the number of eligible complaints, an increase which he attributes to a speeding up of the Prison Service complaints system so that more prisoners are prepared to complete the complaints process before going to the Ombudsman direct. Most complaints and appeals are now answered by the Prison Service within six weeks. The Ombudsman can only investigate once the internal complaints process has been completed.
	The Ombudsman was awarded additional resources to cope with the backlog in 2001–02 and it has now substantially decreased.
	The Ombudsman's remit did not extend to complaints relating to the National Probation Service until September 2001, and they are not covered in his annual report. All these complaints are being completed by his office on time.

Probation Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the financial position of Bull/Integris was taken into account before the standard technical environment for the Probation Service contract was let on 1 January.

Hilary Benn: The National Probation Directorate commissioned the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to assess the financial position of Groupe Bull and its subsidiary Bull Information Systems (including the business division Integris) prior to the shortlisting of service providers for the STEPS contracts.
	After shortlisting and prior to award of the STEPS contracts, the National Probation Directorate commissioned a firm of forensic accountants to evaluate the financial risks regarding the sale of Integris by Bull Information Systems to Steria.
	On-going financial checks will be carried out on Integris (now renamed as Steria following the change of ownership) throughout the life of the STEPS contracts.

Probation Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many computer terminals are operational within the National Probation Service in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: There are currently 17,357 terminals in use in the National Probation Service.

Probation Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maintenance charges are for the probation STEPS contract during normal working hours; what the charge is (a) between 6.00 pm and 10.00 pm for an office and an area, (b) for a Saturday and a Sunday event, (c) in relation to an office relocation and (d) for the installation of a computer or printer; and whether the contract with Integris for these matters represents value for money.

Hilary Benn: It is normal in contracts such as these for the information requested to be covered by commercial confidentiality clauses. However, recent press reports on this subject have been so inaccurate and misleading that both the supplier and the National Probation Directorate felt it appropriate to correct some specific points.
	The Standard Technical Environment for the Probation Service (STEPS) contract provides the foundation for the development of IT in the Probation Service. Earlier this year it became one of the first contracts to pass through the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Gateway process, set up to scrutinise Government contracts for value and purpose.
	The core support hours for the contract are Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm. The 'maintenance charges' to extend these hours to provide full service cover for a whole office between 6.00 and 10.00 pm on a weeknight would be £2,661. On a Saturday the cost to support the entire network of 15,000 desktops across England and Wales would be £8,704. On a Sunday, the same cost would be £11,600. To deliver this service the supplier has to provide people on call around the country, responding to incidents and resolving problems. These costs would only be paid should this work be needed. To date, in the lifetime of this contract, it has not been. The cost to move a workstation would be £192. The contract represents good value for money.

Probation Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the target for the proportion of cases under Probation Service supervision where the service responds to a breach of conditions by taking action in accordance with the national standards has not been met.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 11 July 2002
	Probation Service national standards provide clear guidelines on what the Probation Service is expected to deliver in respect of enforcement of breach action. Performance is closely monitored and there is clear evidence of an improvement increases of breach action from 51 per cent. of cases in 1998 to 70 per cent. in September 2000 (the last date for validated returns). This is against a target of 90 per cent. This improvement has been achieved at the same time as the standard against which performance was measured was significantly toughened during the period.
	The enforcement target is one of a package of targets for which there is a direct cash-related link to performance. That link supports the work which is being undertaken by the Probation Service to improve performance in this area through the review of enforcement procedures.

Child Protection (Sport)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what meetings he has had with Ministers in other Departments with regard to (a) child protection in sport and (b) inter-agency working on child protection in sport;
	(2)  what measures he has put in place to facilitate other Departments' involvement in implementing the Criminal Records Bureau disclosure information checks with regard to child protection in sport.

Hilary Benn: Although the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has been set up as an executive agency of the Home Office, its work supports the policy objectives of several Departments including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) objectives of improving child protection in sport. Employers and other organisations taking forward the policies on child protection of DCMS and other Departments are already making substantial use of the CRB service.
	No ministerial meetings have been arranged specifically on these subjects. But sport was represented on the CRB's customer forum which advised on the implementation of the bureau. Officials have also had a number of ad hoc meetings with representatives of sports organisations with regard to checks for child protection purposes, as they have with other Departments and with a range of other organisations about checks for this and other purposes.

Child Protection (Sport)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the status is of (a) referees and umpires, (b) referees' assistants, (c) match officials and (d) others who receive remuneration for their involvement in the context of the Criminal Records Bureau disclosure information checks;
	(2)  what his definition is of a volunteer for whom Criminal Records Bureau disclosure information checks are necessary.

Hilary Benn: We announced in February of last year that standard and enhanced disclosures will be issued free of charge in the case of volunteers. The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002 define a volunteer as a person engaged in an activity which involves spending time, unpaid (except for travel and other approved out-of-pocket expenses), doing something which aims to benefit some third party other than or in addition to a close relative. Those persons in the categories mentioned who met the criteria for these levels of Disclosure which are set out in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 and section 115 of the Police Act 1997 and whose remuneration amounted only to travel and other approved out-of-pocket expenses would, of course, be entitled to a free Disclosure.

0870 Telephone Numbers

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 896W, if he will list the services accessed by the public for which 0870 numbers are used; and what factors are considered in reaching a decision.

Hilary Benn: The Home Office and its agencies use a total of 11 0870 numbers:
	Immigration and Nationality Directorate: 0870 606 7766
	United Kingdom Passport Service (Main): 0870 521 0410
	United Kingdom Passport Service (Textphone): 0870 240 8090
	United Kingdom Passport Service (High Street Partners): 0870 243 4477
	United Kingdom Passport Service (Complaints): 0870 241 1902
	Criminal Records Bureau (Main): 0870 909 0811
	Criminal Records Bureau (Registration line): 0870 909 0822
	Criminal Records Bureau (Disclosure application line): 0870 909 0844
	Criminal Records Bureau (Minicom line): 0870 909 0344
	Prison Service: 0870 000 1397
	Main Home Office public inquiry line: 0870 000 1585.
	Decisions in all cases were taken on the basis of estimates of the cost to the Department, the cost to the customer, the likely volume of calls that might be generated if 0800, 0845 or 0870 numbers were used, and the impact that volume of calls might have on the levels of service provided.
	Additionally, for the Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau number, the use of an 0870 number was agreed on the grounds that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) would reinvest any money earned back into improving the telephone bureau operation and thereby customer service. This has been done and £0.75 million was invested this spring in the purchase of a new switchboard with increased functionality.

Metropolitan Police Trainees

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many trainee Metropolitan Police officers have had their 18 weeks' training extended to allow them to repeat written and practical assessments in each year since 1997; how much this has cost; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The Commissioner of Police the Metropolis Police has provided the information in the following table:
	
		
			 Year ended Number of officers who have had their training extended Representing percentage of overall number of officers trained 
		
		
			 31 December 1997 (32)— n/a 
			 31 December 1998 33 2.6 
			 31 December 1999 39 3.2 
			 31 December 2000 76 7 
			 31 December 2001 310 14 
		
	
	(32) Figures not available
	There are two reasons for the increase in the number of officers who have had their training extended in the years ending December 2000 and 2001. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of new recruits to the Metropolitan Police Service, and the training school now places more emphasis on helping those officers who do not achieve the required standard within 18 weeks to achieve the appropriate level of competence by extending the basic training period. This is more efficient and cost effective than the previous approach, where it was more generally the case that the force would dispense with the services of officers failing to meet the required standard by the end of the 18-week foundation training course.
	The costs are not available.

Police (Negotiations)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the timing of the publication of the conciliation details following negotiations with the Police Federation, on his Department's website; and what negotiations he has had with the Police Negotiating Board as a result.

John Denham: On 24 October 2001, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary asked the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) to explore and agree a package to modernise police pay and conditions of service. On 27 December 2001, the PNB reached agreement in principle, subject to ratification by all parties following consultation with their members. On 25 February, PNB failed to ratify the agreement reached on 27 December 2001. As required by the PNB Constitution, a period of conciliation followed. On 26 April, the conciliators for the official and staff sides of the PNB agreed on a recommendation for settlement. The details of the recommended conciliated settlement were placed on the Home Office website on the same day.
	Under the PNB Constitution, the conciliated settlement recommended by the conciliators for both sides has to be ratified by the full PNB. PNB meetings took place on 1 and 9 May. At the meeting on 9 May, the recommended conciliated settlement was ratified.

Prisoners (Feltham)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many qualified teachers are employed at Feltham Young Offenders Institute on (a) full-time permanent contracts, (b) part-time permanent contracts, (c) full-time temporary contracts, (d) part-time temporary contracts and (e) agency basis; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: At Feltham, there are currently 14 teachers, including the head and deputies, on full-time permanent contracts. There are 30 teachers on part-time permanent contracts and two on full time temporary contracts.
	There are no teachers at Feltham on part-time temporary contracts, nor are any employed on an agency basis.

Domestic Violence

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cases involving domestic violence have been brought to court in each of the past five years;
	(2)  how many men have been convicted of offences connected with domestic violence in each of the past five years.

John Denham: Offences involving domestic violence are not identifiable on the Home Office Court Proceedings database as no specific statute covers such offences.
	Prosecutions brought might range from common assault to homicide depending on the level of violence, and as the circumstances of the offences for which prosecutions are brought are not collected centrally, offences involving domestic violence cannot be distinguished from other offences within these categories.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what consultation he intends to undertake in respect of guidance to police authorities on dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence within their ranks;
	(2)  when he intends to publish guidance to police authorities on dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence within their ranks.

John Denham: Work is in progress, in consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), to produce guidance to police authorities on dealing with perpetrators of domestic violence within police ranks. A target date will be set for issuing the guidance once the new ACPO lead takes up his post and consultation will take place with relevant bodies once the guidance is drafted. In addition to this, work is being undertaken on ensuring that police discipline procedures complement any guidance to be issued. Some police forces already have procedures in place to ensure they respond effectively to any indication that police staff may be perpetrating domestic violence and evidence of good practice may be incorporated into the guidance where appropriate.

Press Office

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full time equivalents were employed by his press office and (b) secondees were placed in his press office in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 397W which detailed the number of press officers employed during the years 1997 to 2002.
	Records of secondees to the press office are not routinely kept as often they are at nil cost to the Department and may only be for periods of six weeks. The press office has had over the period of time in question a number of fast stream policy officials and immigration officers on attachments to the press office, usually for periods of around six months.

Police Numbers (North-West)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time police officers there were in 1997 and each subsequent year in (a) Preston, (b) Blackburn, (c) the north west of England and (d) England; and how many there were in Lancashire in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, and (iii) 2000.

John Denham: Information on police numbers for each force in each year since 1997 for the north-west region is set out in the table.
	
		North West region
		
			 Force 1997(33) 1998(33) 1999(33) 2000(33) 2001(33) 
		
		
			 Lancashire 3,247 3,257 3,245 3,179 3,255 
			 Cheshire 2,046 2,042 2,071 2,011 2,002 
			 Cumbria 1,144 1,164 1,126 1,084 1,048 
			 Greater Manchester 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 
			 Merseyside 4,230 4,216 4,211 4,085 4,081 
			  
			 Total 17,588 17,216 17,463 17,154 17,296 
			   
			 England 118,459 118,139 117,195 115,324 116,549 
		
	
	(33) As at 31 March.
	Note:
	Figures are for full-time equivalent strength.
	I understand from the Chief Constable that Preston is part of Central (D) Division of Lancashire Constabulary and that Blackburn is part of Eastern (E) Division. It is not possible to separate police strength for Blackburn and Preston from divisional strength. Information for the strength of these divisions has been provided by the Chief Constable.
	
		D and E Divisions police strength
		
			 Year(34) D Division(35) E Division (35) 
		
		
			 1997 383 554 
			 1998 382 552 
			 1999 370 531 
			 2000 380 543 
			 2001 389 558 
		
	
	(34) As at 31 March .
	(35) As at 31 January.
	Note:
	Figures are for full-time equivalent strength.

Police and Crime Reduction Funds

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed transfer of money from police and crime reduction funds to research and statistics current spending and on the (a) research and (b) evaluative projects which this funding is intended to support.

John Denham: The transfer of £9.8 million from policing and crime reduction to research and statistics was a technical adjustment to place the funding in the budget of the Home Office Directorate that would be taking forward this previously agreed work. The £9.8 million breaks down as:
	£7.4 million to fund external evaluation of crime reduction initiatives; and
	£2.4 million to develop the evidence base for sentencing and enforcement practices.
	The £7.4 million provision will cover evaluation of the following initiatives:
	Reducing burglary;
	Targeted policing;
	Treatment of offenders;
	Drug arrest referrals;
	School intervention;
	Domestic violence;
	Sentencing;
	"Tackling Prostitution—What Works?";
	Closed circuit television (CCTV); and
	a range of initiatives centred on design against crime.

Police Targets

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate, for each police force in England, the number of policing plan targets (a) set and (b) achieved for (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 8 July 2002
	The Government require police authorities to set targets in respect of Best Value indicators for domestic burglary, vehicle crime and, in five metropolitan areas, robbery. These five areas are: Merseyside; Greater Manchester; West Midlands; West Yorkshire; and the Metropolitan police. The information requested is not available for the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The information requested for 2001–02 is shown in the table. Targets for all other indicators may be set locally by the police authority following consultation with their communities. Performance data are published annually in police authorities' Best Value Performance Plans.
	
		Targets for domestic burglary, vehicle crime and robbery
		
			 Domestic burglary target  Robbery target  Vehicle crime  
			 Police forces No. targets set No. targets met Set Met Set Met Set Met 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Bedfordshire 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Cheshire 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 City of London 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Cleveland 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 
			 Cumbria 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Dorset 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Durham 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys(36) 3 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 
			 Essex 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Gloucestershire 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Gwent 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			
			 Hampshire 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Hertfordshire 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Humberside 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Kent 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Lancashire 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Leicestershire 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Merseyside 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Metropolitan police 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Norfolk 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 North Wales 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 North Yorkshire 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Northamptonshire 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Northumbria 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 South Wales 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Staffordshire 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Suffolk 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Surrey 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 
			 Sussex 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Warwickshire 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 West Mercia 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 West Midlands 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 West Yorkshire(36) 3 0 1 — 1 0 1 — 
			 Wiltshire 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 England and Wales 107 25 43 9 21 0 43 16 
		
	
	(36) Have set targets for 2004–05.

Pre-Sentence Reports

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the target for the percentage of pre-sentence reports done within the 15-day national standard has not been met.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 11 July 2002
	Probation service national standards set out what the probation service is expected to deliver in respect of providing pre-sentence reports to the court. Performance is closely monitored and there is clear evidence of improvement in magistrates courts from 54.6 per cent. in 1996–97 to 79.5 per cent. in 2001–02. This is against a target of 90 per cent. The probation service is working with the courts to improve further performance in this area.

Race Hate Literature

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to improve liaison between the police and the CPS regarding the prosecution of those responsible for race hate literature; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Following discussions in the Lawrence Inquiry Steering Group meeting in October 2001, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued further guidance to staff. All cases, whether submitted for preliminary advice or as files for prosecution under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986, will be considered by a small team of lawyers within the Casework Directorate at CPS headquarters, in order to ensure that best practice is followed and that there is consistency in decision making. Local Chief Crown Prosecutors will ensure that Chief Constables are aware of this situation and of the ability of the CPS Casework Directorate to provide advice at any stage of an investigation.
	The Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers will discuss other possible measures, in particular a mechanism for pooling experience concerning cases of successful prosecution, at their next bilateral meeting.
	In addition, the Government have introduced, in the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, changes to the law on incitement to racial hatred which expand the coverage of the offences to include hatred against groups abroad and which increase the maximum penalty for these offences from two to seven years' imprisonment.

Darren Cowdrey

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations have taken place into the injuries suffered by Darren Cowdrey, prisoner HJ 5552, in Wandsworth prison.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 11 July 2002
	The police have investigated the incident to which the hon. Member refers. They are satisfied that no crime was committed. A member of Prison Service Construction Unit also visited Wandsworth to look at health and safety aspects of the incident.

Kainos Rehabilitation Units

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Kainos rehabilitation units have been closed; if he will list the closure dates of such units; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Kainos Community programmes at Highpoint South and North prisons closed by mutual agreement on 31 January 2002 and 30 April 2002 respectively.
	The Prison Service is considering a proposal from Kainos Community to continue to run modified versions of the existing programmes at Swaleside and the Verne prisons, on a self funding basis.

Wandsworth Prison

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use is made of (a) safety nets and (b) CCTV to reduce prisoner harm and self-harm in Wandsworth Prison.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 11 July 2002
	Wandsworth prison has safety nets on every wing which, in addition to its other safety purposes, prevents prisoners from falling from the landings to the ground floor. Closed Circuit television (CCTV) is present in some areas of the prison, but not in the residential areas. In those areas of the prison where CCTV is present, it might contribute to the prevention of self-harm but this is not its primary purpose.

Voluntary Constables

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of voluntary constables was in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The numbers of special constables in England and Wales from 1991 to 2001 are given in the table. From 1990 to 1995, statistics on the strength of the special constabulary in England and Wales were collected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. These were compiled at the end of the calendar year until 1993, and then for the financial year 1994–95. Since 1995, these statistics have been collected by the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate. They are compiled at the end of March and September each year.
	
		
			  Figures 
		
		
			 December 1991 17,543 
			 December 1992 19,035 
			 December 1993 20,573 
			 March 1995 20,026 
			 September 1995 19,655 
			 September 1996 19,451 
			 September 1997 19,163 
			 September 1998 17,296 
			 September 1999 15,727 
			 September 2000 13,487 
			 September 2001 12,068 
		
	
	Figures to March 1995 supplied by HMIC, figures from September 1995 supplied by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
	Figures to march 1995 supplied by HMIC, figures from September 1995 supplied by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
	Special Constables are a key element of our police reform agenda. We are working on a package of measures designed to help reverse the decline in numbers by improving the way they are recruited, managed and deployed. We are particularly keen to improve liaison with employers—after all, Specials bring a wealth of training and experience in to their wider workplace. We are also publishing guidance on good practice by the end of this year. And we have set aside £300,000 to help "specials champions" drive forward initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention of specials.

Prisoners (Literacy and Numeracy)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners discharged from their sentence were at level 1 or below for literacy and numeracy skills in each year since 1998 to the latest available date.

Hilary Benn: The figures published by the Prison Service are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage discharged at level 1 or below for  
			  Numeracy Literacy 
		
		
			 2000–01 67.6 76.5 
			 2001–02 65.7 77.6 
		
	
	No comparable data were collected before 2000–01. From 2000–01, delivery targets for literacy and numeracy in prisons have been for the number of basic skills qualifications achieved annually by prisoners. In 2000–01, prisoners achieved 12,500 basic skills qualifications at level 2, rising to nearly 16,000 in 2001–02. Targets for this year and next have been widened to cover the achievement of basic skills qualifications at all levels. This will help establishments to be more responsive to the range of prisoners' basic skills needs.
	The Government expects prisoners to achieve 28,800 basic skills qualifications in 2002–03 rising to 32,000 in 2003–04. By helping to equip prisoners with the skills they need to resettle effectively back into the community on release, these achievements will contribute to reduced rates of re-offending and to making communities safer.

Investigatory Branch CIB 3

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by the investigatory branch CIB 3 have been received in the last four years.

John Denham: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the Metropolitan Police Service complaints and discipline system indicates that there have been six allegations of breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by officers from the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service's Directorate of Professional Standards (formerly CIB3) in the last four years.

Police Standards

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the functions and compatibility of the Standards Unit and HMIC.

John Denham: holding answer 13 June 2002
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Standards Unit have separate and complementary roles. They work together to identify where forces and basic command unit's (BCUs) need support to improve their performance. HMIC will continue to report on performance across the whole service, alerting the Police Standards Unit (PSUs) where it believes its support is needed to improve performance: PSU by contrast will focus on particular areas where BCUs and forces need help to improve performance.
	In doing this, PSU will draw on advice from HMIC, monthly crime data by BCU and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) (and other sources where available). Its early work includes developing analysis and assessment frameworks to make best use of police performance data and quality assurance processes to ensure the accuracy and reliability of this data.
	The Standards Unit will begin a programme of targeting support for forces and BCUs in the autumn. It will also provide funding to help the best BCUs to innovate and develop best practice.

Police Recruitment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to encourage former officers to rejoin the police service; and if applications from such people will be treated in the same way as those from (a) new recruits and (b) officers seeking a transfer from another force.

John Denham: holding answer 25 March 2002
	The Home Office issues guidelines on recruitment which do not distinguish between new applicants and those seeking to rejoin the police service. Once appointed, depending on individual circumstances, officers rejoining may not be required to complete the full period of probation or to undertake the initial training programme.
	The Home Office does not issue guidance to forces about applications from transferees.
	The range of measures we have taken to improve recruitment and retention generally, and the reform we are implementing may encourage former offices to consider rejoining.

Crime Reduction Fund

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each initiative in each year since the start of the Crime Reduction Fund, indicating (a) the amount budgeted for each initiative and in total in each year to date and (b) the total expended for each initiative and in total in each year of the initiative to date; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The information, covering project grant, evaluation and running costs, is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			   1999–2000  2000–01 2001–02 
			  Budgeted provision(37) Actual expenditure Budgeted provision(37) Actual expenditure Budgeted provision(37),(38) 
		
		
			 Reducing burglary 13,800 2,067 19,830 9,137 20,185 
			 Locks for the over-60s 0 0 5,150 927 5,530 
			 Summer schemes 0 0 1,500 1,890 2,058 
			 Prostitution—what works 0 0 500 42 1,049 
			 Targeted policing 6,000 509 12,450 9,696 21,880 
			 'On Track'(39) 500 169 12,500 4,943 2,819 
			 Innovation fund(40) 0 0 9,000 0 0 
			 Vehicle crime publicity 0 0 8,000 8,000 0 
			 Treatment of offenders 5,300 2,298 8,000 7,732 7,411 
			 Drug arrest referrals 2,000 306 9,000 8,941 10,874 
			 Schools intervention 4,000 205 6,000 6,832 5,438 
			 Violence against women 0 90 5,000 2,007 10,880 
			 Vehicle crime 0 0 4,000 505 3,883 
			 Youth inclusion 0 0 2,750 2,750 5,870 
			 Sentencing practices 675 332 575 866 4,565 
			 Neighbourhood wardens 0 0 1,500 922 4,047 
			 Design against crime 500 589 1,500 551 1,138 
			 Arson control forum 0 0 165 118 0 
			 Offenders index 75 75 75 266 0 
			 Suzy Lamplugh Trust 0 0 205 205 295 
			 Rape Crisis Federation 0 0 0 0 838 
			 CCTV initiative(41) 20,000 5 60,000 23,460 150,841 
			  
			 Total(42) 52,850 6,645 167,700 89,790 259,601 
		
	
	(37) The voted provision for 1999–2000 and 2000–01—as published in the Home Office annual report for 2000—was £60 million and £160 million respectively. The budgeted provision figures for these years in the table above differ from those in that report because they reflect updated profiles of planned expenditure. The figures for 200–102 take into account the effects of the SR 2000 Settlement.
	(38) Shows the amounts required to roll out the remaining projects under these initiatives. Some of this expenditure will be incurred in 2002–03.
	(39) Balance of funding transferred to DfEE for completion of programme.
	(40) Funding reallocated to other projects.
	(41) Provision comes from the Capital Modernisation Fund. Includes £4.6 million for CCTV in police vehicles.
	(42) The total figure excludes central and regional programme support costs, which are not allocated to particular initiatives.

Heathrow (Security)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis concerning thefts and robberies at Heathrow; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 25 March 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis meet regularly to discuss issues relevant at the time, including the Metropolitan police's response to high profile incidents. The Government are considering what further measures are necessary to improve airport security.

Operation Rose

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with respect to Operation Rose in Northumbria, how many individuals were (a) suspected of child abuse and (b) arrested in connection with charges of child abuse; of the people arrested, how many were subsequently released; how many of the suspects were charged; of the people charged, how many people had the charges against them dropped before going to court; how many individuals were taken to court who pleaded not guilty to the allegations made against them; how many people were taken to court who pleaded guilty to the allegations made against them; how many cases were discontinued and what were the reasons for discontinuance; how many complaints were received and how many suspects and complainants were identified; of the cases sent to the CPS, how many were (i) accepted, (ii) referred for further information and (iii) rejected; what the total cost associated with Operation Rose was, including direct costs of salaries and expenses of officers involved; what defence costs were awarded against the Crown; and who or which organisation has reviewed the way in which Operation Rose was conducted.

John Denham: 197 individuals were regarded by the police as possible suspects in the course of Operation Rose, of whom 60 were arrested in connection with charges of child abuse. 28 of these 60 were subsequently released and 32 charged. A further 26 cases were sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for review, but no charges were laid in any of these cases. The CPS reviewed each case before charges were brought, with the result that no case in which charges had been brought was discontinued. 31 of those charged pleaded not guilty to the allegations made against them, and one pleaded guilty. Five of these 31 were convicted. In total 530 complaints were received in the course of the operation; all complainants were identified.
	The total cost associated with Operation Rose, including direct costs of salaries and expenses of officers involved, amounted to £5 million. No defence costs were awarded against the Crown—costs were awarded out of central funds. All the agencies involved in Operation Rose—police, CPS, social services and health—have since reviewed the processes involved in the investigation.

Police Pay

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will define working at the sharp end, as quoted in the Home Office police briefing, January 2001.

John Denham: The briefing note stated that "we want to bring in a new scheme to target extra rewards at those working at the sharp end of public service, doing the most difficult and demanding jobs". On 9 May, the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) agreed a package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service, including such a scheme.
	Under the special priority payment scheme, it will be for chief officers and police authorities to draw up local schemes, taking account of national criteria and any guidance issued by the Home Secretary. They will also have to consult local staff associations.
	Posts may qualify for payment where they:
	Carry a significantly higher responsibility level than the norm for the rank; or
	Present particular difficulties in recruitment and retention; or
	Have specially demanding working conditions or working environments.
	Officers in qualifying posts will receive a one-off payment at the end of the year of not less than £500 and not more than £3,000 normally, although exceptionally payments of up to £5,000 may be made.
	In the first year of the scheme's operation (2003), forces will have to spend a minimum of 1 per cent. of the force's annual basic paybill for all ranks up to and including chief superintendent, rising to 1.5 per cent. in the second year and 2 per cent. in the third year.

Immigration

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy where family ties are claimed to the UK in third country cases.

Beverley Hughes: The policy on the exercise of discretion in safe third country cases where family ties to the United Kingdom are claimed is that potential third country cases would normally have their asylum claims considered substantively in this country where:
	(a) an applicant's spouse is in the United Kingdom;
	(b) the applicant is an unmarried minor and a parent is in the United Kingdom;
	(c) the applicant has an unmarried minor child in the United Kingdom.
	The policy in (a) would not be applied in cases where a marriage was contracted after the applicant's arrival in the United Kingdom. In all cases "in the United Kingdom" is to be taken as meaning with leave to enter or remain or on temporary admission to this country as an asylum seeker prior to an initial decision on their application.
	Discretion may be exercised according to the merits of the case where:
	(d) a married minor was involved but the criteria in (b) or (c) above were otherwise fulfilled. (We would be less likely to consider cases under (c) than (b) under these circumstances).
	(e) the applicant was an elderly or otherwise dependent parent;
	(f) the family link was not one which would normally be considered but there was clear evidence that the applicant was wholly or mainly dependent on the relative in the United Kingdom and that there was an absence of similar support elsewhere.
	I would expect cases falling into this latter category to be rare.
	Factors which might influence the exercise of discretion in these cases, such as language, cultural links or the number of family members in the United Kingdom may have a bearing, but there would need to be a compelling combination of such factors to ensure the exercise of discretion in favour of an applicant.
	Cases citing family ties which would not normally be considered and which did not display any of the features, which engaged the exercise of discretion, would not normally be considered substantively. This means that a brother, who was not dependent on his sibling(s), would not normally have his case considered here, no matter how strong his cultural or linguistic links with the United Kingdom.
	The intention of the policy is to re-unite members of an existing family unit who, through circumstances outside their control, had become fragmented. However, I emphasise that where the relationship did not exist prior to the person's arrival to the United Kingdom, the policy would only be applied in the most exceptionally compelling cases.
	I am satisfied that this policy complies with the United Kingdom's obligations as regards the European Convention on Human Rights and that it is consistent with our obligations under the Dublin Convention, as set out in Article 1 of Decision 1–2000 of the Committee set up by Article 18 of the Dublin Convention concerning the transfer of responsibility for family members in accordance with Article 3(4) and Article 9 of the Convention.

Public Protection

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the first multi-agency public protection annual report; and if he will make a statement on the publication of local area reports.

Hilary Benn: I am today publishing the first Multi-Agency Public Protection Annual Report (MAPPA) annual report, a copy of which is being placed in the Library. Local police and probation areas will from tomorrow begin to publish their own reports, and these will provide the public with information on the number of offenders covered by the arrangements.
	The work done in the past year by the Multi Agency Public Protection Panel in managing risk has contributed to a higher level of public protection from potentially dangerous offenders in the community.
	Our aim is that the MAPPA process should be transparent and that members of the public should be able to see what is being done on its behalf. That is why the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 requires each area to publish a report detailing the work it has done in the past year. That is also why I announced last month that members of the public were being invited to apply to sit on the boards overseeing these arrangements in five pilot areas.
	In seeing the information which these reports now make available for the first time, I hope the public will be reassured by the work being done on their behalf.

Nuclear Installations (Policing)

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the cost of policing nuclear sites from terrorist attacks for the years (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001 and (d) 2002.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary's annual reports provide overall outturn for financial years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 which were £20.6 million and £21.2 million respectively. The annual report for 2001–02 has not yet been published. The figures are not broken down since the Constabulary's responsibilities include protecting material and sites from theft and sabotage.

Nuclear Installations (Policing)

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the costs of his proposals to create a civil nuclear constabulary.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	As affirmed in the White Paper "Managing the Nuclear Legacy" the Government intend to separate the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary from the UKAEA and reconstitute it as a stand-alone force, overseen by a statutory Police Authority, in order to make it independent of the nuclear industry and provide improved governance arrangements. The constabulary's role, which has remained broadly unchanged since its inception in 1954, is to protect specified nuclear sites and escort sensitive nuclear material in transit. It is not envisaged that reconstitution will affect its size, role or the locations where it serves.
	Estimates of the costs associated with setting up and operating the constabulary as a standalone force are included in the report of the quinquennial review of the UKAEA which was placed in the Libraries of the House in November 2001. The estimated costs comprise (at 2000–01 levels):
	Additional running costs—£170,000 per annum.
	One-off costs on separation from UKAEA, including new hardware/software for finance/payroll management, legal and financial advice (including setting up a transfer scheme), project management support, transitional recruitment and training costs and rebadging—£1,120,000.

Retail Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 605W, on retail crime, if he will list for each regional crime reduction director the amount spent on business crime reduction in 2001–02.

John Denham: The following table sets out the amounts spent by regional crime reduction directors on business, (including retail) crime reduction initiatives in 2001–02 and shows these as a proportion of their total spending on crime reduction initiatives. These figures do not include funding spent on non-specific schemes, such as town centre close circuit television, which will usually benefit businesses in the areas where they operate and which will often have been identified as a priority in consultation with the business community.
	The Home Office does not record the amounts spent on retail crime partnerships in each of the 376 statutory crime and disorder partnerships.
	
		
			 Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 
			 Region Spend on business crime, including retail crime, projects in 2001–02 (£) Column 2 as a proportion of annual spending of regional crime reduction directors in 2001–02 (Percentage) 
		
		
			 Eastern 132,262 1.0 
			 East Midlands 221,064 1.4 
			 London 336,225 1.1 
			 North East 262,718 2.4 
			 North West 952,162 3.9 
			 South East 251,500 1.4 
			 South West 94,549 0.7 
			 Wales 132,262 1.6 
			 West Midlands 469,199 2.6 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 325,128 1.7

Retail Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 605W, to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper), on retail crime, if he will list for each regional crime reduction director the annual budget for crime reduction in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

John Denham: The information is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			 Region 2001–02 (Expenditure) 2002–03 (Budget) 
		
		
			 East 13,569 10,472 
			 East Midlands 15,938 13,277 
			 London 31,911 37,863 
			 North East 11,063 10,081 
			 North West 24,496 27,729 
			 South East 18,409 21,487 
			 South West 12,826 17,102 
			 Wales 8,080 10,162 
			 West Midlands 18,297 18,504 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 19,346 23,593 
			  
			 Total 173,935 190,270 
		
	
	Funding covers measures and interventions under a range of programmes; the Crime Reduction Programme, Safer Communities Initiative, Communities Against Drugs, Partnership Development Fund (interim allocation for 2002–03), Security for Small Retailers in Deprived Areas.
	Crime Reduction Directors also work with their Colleagues in the Government Offices for the Regions and the National Assembly for Wales to ensure that crime reduction is reflected in the delivery of other Departments' programmes. Total funds spent on combating crime in the regions go wider than those administered through Regional Crime Directors.

Medical Confidentiality

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what priority is given to protecting medical confidentiality in combating abusive sexual relations.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The circumstances in which confidential information about individuals can be disclosed are governed by the common law duty of confidence. This legal obligation in no way constrains health professionals and others who hold confidential information from disclosing such information appropriately where children are at risk.
	The Department issued guidance entitled "The Protection and Use of Patient Information" to the national health service in March 1996. This explains that patient information should only be released on a need to know basis if it is required by statute or the courts, is supported by the consent of the individual, or if it is judged that there is a strong public interest justification in disclosure which overrides the duty of confidence to the patient. For example, in circumstances where failure to do so may expose the patient or others to a risk of death or serious harm or the information is needed to prevent serious crime. Disclosure of information in the public interest is a matter of professional judgment and must be decided on a case by case basis by the health professional responsible for the patient's care.
	In child protection cases, the overriding principle is to secure the best interests of the child. Therefore, if a health professional has knowledge of abuse or neglect they may disclose relevant information to an appropriate person or authority where disclosure is felt to be in the medical interests of the child patient.

HEALTH

Contraception

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of contraception and contraceptive devices have been prescribed (a) to persons over 16 and (b) to persons of each age group under 16 in each year since 1990.

Hazel Blears: Tables showing first contacts with women at family planning clinics by primary method of birth control are as follows. It should be noted that family planning clinics account for only about one fifth of prescriptions for contraceptives to women of all ages; over two-thirds of contraceptive prescriptions in England are provided by general practitioners.
	It should also be noted that these figures count only once those women who have attended family planning clinics more than once in a 12 month period.
	
		First contacts with women at family planning clinics by primary method of birth control and age, 1991–92 to 2000–01 -- Number of first contacts (thousand)
		
			  1992–93 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96  
			 Primary method Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over 
		
		
			 Total all methods 18.5 882.7 22.4 858.7 31.7 835.2 44.7 832.4 51.4 835.7 
			 Oral contraceptives-total 13.0 506.8 13.9 482.3 18.0 464.0 24.9 461.2 25.4 433.7 
			 Combined preparation 12.8 448.4 13.7 427.6 17.6 411.9 24.5 410.7 24.9 385.0 
			 Progestogen-only 0.2 58.4 0.2 54.7 0.3 52.0 0.4 50.5 0.5 48.7 
			 IUD 0.1 94.9 0.1 81.7 0.1 73.2 0.1 64.2 0.1 59.5 
			 Cap/diaphragm 0.1 58.9 0.1 50.1 0.1 42.0 0.1 35.9 0.1 32.4 
			 Injectable contraceptive 0.2 19.7 0.3 23.1 0.3 27.7 0.5 35.1 0.7 40.7 
			 Other chemicals 0.0 5.1 0.0 5.2 0.1 4.9 0.1 5.6 0.1 5.3 
			 Male condom 4.4 167.8 7.1 189.0 11.4 185.3 17.2 205.9 22.5 234.5 
			 Female condom(43) — — — — 0.5 11.8 0.2 2.5 0.3 3.1 
			 Rhythm method 0.0 1.1 0.0 1.2 0.0 0.8 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.7 
			 Female sterilisation 0.0 2.3 0.0 2.3 0.0 2.2 0.0 0.9 0.0 1.3 
			 Implant(44) — — — — — — — — 0.0 1.9 
			 Other methods 0.7 26.0 0.9 23.8 1.2 23.3 1.6 20.0 2.2 22.8 
		
	
	
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01  
			 Primary method  Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over Under 16 16 & over 
		
		
			 Total all methods 54.6 865.4 55.0 861.4 53.8 862.3 56.3 860.0 62.1 852.8 
			 Oral contraceptives-total 23.0 419.9 22.7 413.4 21.8 399.6 22.7 400.9 23.9 396.2 
			 Combined preparation 22.5 369.9 22.2 364.2 21.1 351.6 21.7 319.9 22.8 315.2 
			 Progestogen-only 0.5 50.1 0.5 49.2 0.7 48.0 1.1 30.8 1.1 32.0 
			 IUD 0.1 63.1 0.1 62.0 0.2 63.2 0.2 66.4 0.2 64.6 
			 Cap/diaphragm 0.1 28.8 0.1 22.7 0.1 18.2 0.0 14.9 0.0 12.4 
			 Injectable contraceptive 1.0 47.3 1.2 50.9 1.3 55.5 1.5 60.9 2.0 69.5 
			 Other chemicals 0.1 5.3 0.1 3.7 0.1 4.4 0.1 4.6 0.1 3.1 
			 Male condom 27.1 266.1 27.0 271.6 26.2 272.4 27.6 265.5 30.9 251.9 
			 Female condom 0.2 3.0 0.3 3.0 0.2 3.0 0.2 1.8 0.2 1.6 
			 Rhythm method 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.7 0.1 1.2 
			 Female sterilisation 0.0 1.3 0.0 1.4 0.0 1.2 0.0 1.3 0.0 1.3 
			 Implant(44) 0.1 4.2 0.0 1.3 0.0 1.3 0.0 2.4 0.1 3.3 
			 Other methods 3.0 25.5 3.5 31.0 3.9 43.1 3.8 40.7 4.6 47.7 
		
	
	(43) Information about the female condom was first collected from 1993–94
	(44) Information about implants was first collected from 1995–96
	Source:
	Department of Health Statistics Division SD2B, Form KT31

NHS Trust Staff

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Director of Performance Management at the South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust, criticised at the time of the publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists, now hold in the NHS;
	(2)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Deputy Chief Executive at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, criticised at the time of the publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists, now hold in the NHS;
	(3)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) General Manager in Surgery and Specialist Services at Redbridge Health Care NHS Trust, criticised at the time of the publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists, now hold in the NHS;
	(4)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Assistant Director of Operations (Surgery) at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust criticised at the time of the publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists now hold in the NHS;
	(5)  what positions the (a) Admissions Department Manager, (b) two directors of operations and (c) Chief Executive, criticised at the time of the Trust inquiry into waiting list maladministration at the Barts and the London NHS Trust, now hold in the NHS;
	(6)  what position the Chief Executive at the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust criticised at the time of publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists now holds in the NHS;
	(7)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Director of Operations at the Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, criticised at the time of the publication of the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments of waiting lists, now hold in the NHS;
	(8)  what positions the (a) Chief Executive and (b) the Chief Operating Officer at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust, criticised in the Audit Commission report into inappropriate adjustments in waiting lists, now hold in the NHS.

John Hutton: Part 2 paragraph 12 of the Open Government Code of Practice prohibits the disclosure of personal information about any person which would constitute or could facilitate an unwarranted invasion of privacy.
	Of the 17 postholders referred to in the hon. Member's parliamentary questions:
	three are working in national health service trusts
	two are working in primary care trusts
	four are working in health authorities
	and the remainder are not known to be working in the NHS.

Regional Organisations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by his Department have a regional organisation; and if he will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002.

David Lammy: The information is provided in the table which is in the Library. Of the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies, only the National Health Service Estates Agency had a regional structure in 1997. Currently only the National Care Standards Commission, which was established in 2002, has a regional structure.

Hospital Discharges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 740W, on hospital discharges, 
	(1)  where and when the target for a reduction in the number of people experiencing delayed discharge by 20 per cent. between March 2002 and March 2003 was published;
	(2)  what his target is for the reduction in the number of bed days lost through people experiencing delayed discharge from hospital.

Jacqui Smith: The 20 per cent. target figure was published in the Department's "Priorities and Planning Framework 2002–03" in December 2001, which is available on the Department's website. There is no target for bed days lost. We expect that there will be an increase in the number of available bed days as a consequence of the reduction in numbers of patients delayed, in line with that seen over the last two quarters of 2001–02.

Carers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department last reviewed guidance on hospital discharge with respect to carers' needs; and what arrangements are in place to monitor compliance with the guidance;
	(2)  if he will undertake an evaluation of the appropriateness of support offered to carers as part of strategies to reduce the number of delayed discharges from hospital.

Jacqui Smith: Carer support and strength of caring arrangements are two of the areas assessed when putting together a care plan for the patient leaving hospital. The written care plan which the patient is given includes the support carers are willing and able to offer.
	The Hospital Discharge Workbook, issued in 1994, gives guidance to the national health service, social services and other agencies on hospital discharge procedures. The Workbook emphasises that the patient and carer should be made fully aware of arrangements for discharge and understand fully what is going to happen. The chief executive of the hospital trust is responsible for ensuring that discharges take place appropriately. We are revising the workbook and will incorporate the needs of carers.

Psycho-surgery

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into psycho- surgery in the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is funded via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC has not supported any research in this area in the last five years. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
	The Department directly funds research into policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care, and provides national health service support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities in the NHS. The Department has not supported any work in this area in the last five years.
	Management of much of the research supported by NHS research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department. Details of research projects funded by, or of interest to, the national health service are available on the National Research Register at www.doh.gov.uk/research/ nrr.htm

Consultant Psychiatrists

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the vacancy rate was for consultant psychiatrists in (a) England and (b) each region in each of the last six years.

John Hutton: The number of consultants in post in the psychiatry group has increased from 2,808 in September 1999 to 3,030 in March 2002. This is an increase of 8 per cent.
	The national health service vacancy survey has only been conducted in March each year since 1999. The survey collects information on the number of posts which trusts are actively trying to fill which have been vacant for three months or more.
	There are six specialities within the psychiatry group. In 2001, the vacancy survey focused on specialties that were considered particularly problematic. For this reason, only four of the six specialties were collected.
	Increased vacancies are to be expected at a time when we are trying to dramatically increase the size of the workforce. New investment enables NHS trusts to create new posts; however, there can be a delay in providing sufficient staff for all the posts.
	Available information is shown in the tables.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 1999 -- Vacancies in NHS trusts by region, psychiatry group, 3 month vacancy rates(45),(46) and numbers(47)
		
			   Psychiatry group (consultant)  
			  3 month vacancy rates (percentage) 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 
		
		
			 England 6.7 170 2,360 2,630 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 7.3 20 290 320 
			 Trent 4.0 10 230 250 
			 West Midlands 9.0 20 220 240 
			 North West 10.5 30 280 310 
			 Eastern 4.4 10 210 230 
			 London 5.5 30 510 600 
			 South East 6.2 20 370 420 
			 South West 7.5 20 200 230 
			 Special HAs 0.0 0 40 50 
		
	
	(45) Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 1999 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	(46) Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 1998 medical and dental census (whole time equivalent).
	(47) Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	3. Due to rounding, calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	4. Figures may not match previously published data due to a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data.
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey 1999.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census 1998.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2000 -- Vacancies in NHS trusts by region, psychiatry group, 3 month vacancy rates(48),(49) and numbers(50)
		
			   Psychiatry group (consultant)  
			  3 month vacancy rates (percentage) 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 
		
		
			 England 6.9 190 2,520 2,810 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 7.7 30 310 340 
			 Trent 5.0 10 240 260 
			 West Midlands 11.4 30 240 260 
			 North West 7.9 30 290 330 
			 Eastern 6.0 10 210 240 
			 London 7.4 40 550 640 
			 South East 4.7 20 400 460 
			 South West 2.2 10 220 250 
			 Special HAs 15.6 10 50 50 
		
	
	(48) Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2000 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	(49) Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three months vacancies plus staff in post from the September 1999 medical and dental workforce census (whole time equivalent).
	(50) Vacancy and staff in post number are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	3. Due to rounding, calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	4. Figures may not match previously published data due to a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data.
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey 2000.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census 1999.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2001 -- Vacancies in NHS trusts by region, consultants in the specified areas of work, 3 month vacancy rates(51),(52) and numbers(53)
		
			  3 month vacancy rates (percentage) 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 
		
		
			  Forensic psychiatry (consultants)   
			 England 5.2 10 150 160 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 0.0 0 10 10 
			 Trent 0.0 0 10 10 
			 West Midlands 0.0 0 10 10 
			 North West 18.2 0 10 10 
			 Eastern 0.0 0 10 10 
			 London 8.5 0 40 50 
			 South East 7.7 0 10 20 
			 South West (54)— (54)— (54)— (54)— 
			 Special HAs 2.7 0 40 40 
			  
			  General psychiatry (consultants)   
			 England 7.8 130 1,490 1,650 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 8.2 20 170 180 
			 Trent 4.0 10 140 160 
			 West Midlands 11.0 20 130 140 
			 North West 12.2 30 180 190 
			 Eastern 5.8 10 110 120 
			 London 7.5 30 380 430 
			 South East 10.2 30 230 260 
			 South West 1.3 0 150 170 
			 Special HAs (54)— (54)— (54)— (54)— 
			  
			  Learning disabilities (consultants)   
			 England 13.3 30 170 180 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 13.5 10 30 30 
			 Trent 26.3 10 10 20 
			 West Midlands 8.3 0 20 20 
			 North West 21.7 10 20 20 
			 Eastern 10.3 0 30 30 
			 London 12.2 0 20 20 
			 South East 11.1 0 20 30 
			 South West 6.7 0 10 10 
			 Special HAs (54)— (54)— (54)— (54)— 
			  
			  Old age psychiatry (consultants)   
			 England 9.3 30 310 330 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 10.0 10 60 60 
			 Trent 11.4 0 30 30 
			 West Midlands 7.9 0 30 40 
			 North West 14.6 10 40 40 
			 Eastern 16.1 10 30 30 
			 London 2.3 0 40 50 
			 South East 8.5 10 50 60 
			 South West 0.0 0 20 20 
			 Special HAs (54)— (54)— (54)— (54)— 
		
	
	(51) Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	(52) Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 medical and dental workforce census (whole time equivalent).
	(53) Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
	(54) Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	(55) Figures where sum of staff in post and vacancies is less than 10.
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	3. Due to rounding, calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	4. Figures may not match previously published data due to a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data.
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey 2001.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census 2000.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002 -- Vacancies in NHS trusts by region, total psychiatry group of consultants, 3 month vacancy rates(56),(57) and numbers
		
			  Psychiatry group (consultants)  
			  3 month vacancy rates (percentage) 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 
		
		
			 England 8.5 250 2710 3,030 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 10.8 40 330 350 
			 Trent 6.1 20 280 300 
			 West Midlands 9.3 30 280 290 
			 North West 12.2 40 300 330 
			 Eastern 8.6 20 250 280 
			 London 6.8 50 620 730 
			 South East 7.5 30 390 480 
			 South West 7.7 20 250 260 
			 Special HAs 7.7 0 10 10 
		
	
	(56) Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2002 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	(57) Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post form this survey.
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	3. Due to rounding, calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	4. Figures may not match previously published data due to a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data.
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey 2001.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Mini Census 2002.

Overseas Treatment

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been referred from the health authorities in Kent for operations abroad in the last 12 months; and of those completed (a) what proportion showed serious post-operative complications and (b) what the cost was in each case.

John Hutton: Earlier this year East Kent Health Authority referred 96 patients to La Louvière Polyclinique in Lille as part of the pilot scheme to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery.
	Information about post-operative complication rates arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.
	As is standard practice with contracts between the NHS and independent health care providers, the prices for particular procedures are confidential. The total cost of treatment and travel for the East Kent patients treated during the pilot was approximately £576,000.

Overseas Treatment

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total cost to date has been of treating NHS patients abroad under contract;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the complication rates arising from (a) treatment carried out abroad under the NHS and (b) NHS treatment in the UK since NHS treatment abroad began.

John Hutton: The total cost of treatment and travel for the patients treated between January and April 2002 during the pilot scheme in south east England to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery was approximately £1.1 million.
	Information about "complication rates" arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.

Private Finance Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Health Ministers of the devolved Administrations on the use of PFI and PPP in the health service.

John Hutton: No discussions have been held with Health Ministers of the devolved Administrations on the use of private finance initiative and public private partnership in the health service.

Care Homes

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly care homes were (a) publicly and (b) privately funded in the last five years, broken down by region.

Jacqui Smith: Local authority staffed care homes are entirely funded by local authority social services while independent care homes are partially funded by social services through fees towards supported residents. Table 1 shows the number of residential local authority staffed homes and Table 2 the number of independent residential and nursing care homes for older people by national health service region from 1997 to 2001 at 31 March each year.
	
		Table 1: Number of local authority staffed residential care homes for older(58) people from 1997 to 2001
		
			 NHS regions 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Eastern 160 160 140 130 120 
			 London 160 160 140 130 110 
			 North West 220 220 220 200 190 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 250 240 220 220 210 
			 South East 250 210 200 190 180 
			 South West 120 120 120 110 100 
			 Trent 190 170 160 160 150 
			 West Midlands 140 200 160 140 140 
			  
			 Total 1,500 1,470 1,360 1,270 1,190 
		
	
	(58) Includes local authority staffed care homes for older mentally infirm people.
	Notes:
	1. Figures at 31 March each year.
	2. All figures are rounded numbers.
	Source:
	Department of Health's annual returns.
	
		Table 2: Number of independent residential and nursing(59) care homes for older(60) people from 1997 to 2001
		
			 NHS regions 1997(61) 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Eastern 1,510 1,550 1,540 1,490 1,470 
			 London 1,290 1,350 1,340 1,310 1,300 
			 North West 2,720 2,920 2,900 2,840 2,700 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 2,190 2,370 2,340 2,310 2,200 
			 South East 3,630 3,720 3,640 3,430 3,170 
			 South West 3,500 3,120 3,000 2,790 2,680 
			 Trent 1,980 3,030 2,070 2,020 1,950 
			 West Midlands 1,890 1,870 1,820 1,740 1,690 
			  
			 Total 18,700 18,910 18,650 17,910 17,160 
		
	
	(59) Includes private hospitals and clinics.
	(60) Includes independent residential care homes for older mentally infirm people.
	(61) Information on nursing beds relates to registered beds during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.
	Notes:
	1. Figures at 31 March each year.
	2. All figures are rounded numbers.
	Source:
	Department of Health's annual returns.

London Health Authorities

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was allocated to assist the provision of community mental health services by London health authorities in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002;
	(2)  how much was allocated to London health authorities to assist the provision of interpreting and translation services in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001;
	(3)  how much was allocated to assist the provision of services for rough sleepers by the London health authorities in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

John Hutton: The national weighted capitation formula, which sets target fair shares for health authorities, includes adjustments for rough sleepers, interpreting and translation services and community mental health services.
	However, no specific sums are identified separately in allocations.

Criminal Records Bureau

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  under what circumstances the moment (a) when an employee is confirmed in post, (b) when a provisional offer of a job is given and (c) any offer of employment is given will be the trigger for a registered person to seek a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  how often registered persons will be required to review Criminal Records Bureau disclosures in respect of employees and other affected persons in connection with the Care Home Regulations; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what investigations his Department made regarding the capacity of the Criminal Records Bureau to process requests for disclosure before he made his regulations for care home standards.

Jacqui Smith: The Care Homes Regulations require Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks to be satisfactorily completed before a person can be permanently employed in a care home. The national care standards commission will need to satisfy itself that appropriate checks have been completed, in order to protect the care home's residents. Subject to this, it is for individual care home owners to decide when to apply for criminal record checks in respect of any person they plan to employ.
	There is no statutory requirement to review CRB checks once obtained. However, under the previous regulatory arrangements it was standard practice for further police checks to be undertaken after a three year period in respect of owners, managers and staff in children's homes.
	While drafting the Care Homes Regulations 2001, the department kept in contact with the Home Office about the establishment of the CRB. The department was satisfied that the CRB would be able to meet the demands for disclosures. The CRB has experienced early operating difficulties which have lead to delays in responding to applications for Disclosure, measures are being taken to overcome these. We are determined that the CRB will be in a position as soon as possible to meet the high standards of service that it has made clear it will deliver to its customers. The short-term implications for particular service areas using the CRB service are being closely monitored.

Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who has responsibility for (a) co-ordinating the international recruitment efforts throughout England's eight regions, (b) ensuring consistent standards and cost-effective best practice in employment, (c) developing agreements between Governments, (d) ensuring international co-operation and the recruitment and exchange of health care professionals and (e) ensuring that developing countries are protected from targeted recruitment.

John Hutton: The national health service employment branch of the human resources directorate at the department has responsibility for the policies on international recruitment, including issuing guidance to the NHS and establishing government to government agreements.
	Workforce development confederations work with the NHS to ensure that recruitment is carried out in line with the Code of Practice for international recruitment and in a cost effective manner.

Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 781W, on international recruitment, how many international nurse recruitment agencies (a) have failed to adhere to the code of practice and (b) NHS organisations have been instructed not to deal with;
	(2)  when the final list of nursing agencies which comply to the code of practice on ethical nursing recruitment will be posted on his website.

John Hutton: The Department has written to 45 agencies inviting them to provide references from national health service employers to confirm that they are complying to the principles of the Code of Practice.
	The list of agencies who have submitted references will be placed on the website on 1 August.

Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many international recruitment co-ordinators there are in each NHS region; and what their budget is for (a) 2000–01, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04.

John Hutton: Work force development confederations employ individuals to lead on international recruitment. Some work force development confederations have pooled resources to appoint co-ordinators across boundaries. The table shows the number of co-ordinators in each directorate of health and social care.
	
		
			  Number of co-ordinators 
		
		
			 South 6 
			 Midlands and Eastern 5 
			 North 5 
			 London 3 
		
	
	The first regional international recruitment co-ordinators took up post late in 2000–01. £6 million was available to them for recruitment, retention and return. In 2002–03, £1 million to date has been devolved to the national health service for international recruitment. Funding for 2003–04 has yet to be agreed.

Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the Director for International Recruitment in 2001–02.

John Hutton: In accordance with the human resources policy of the Department, all staff working for the Department are appraised but the content and outcomes of the appraisal are confidential.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency will publish their annual report and accounts.

David Lammy: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's annual report and accounts has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library.

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those mental health trusts which have (a) expanded and (b) reduced the numbers of physiotherapists in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: Information on the number of physiotherapists employed by the national health service is collected by the Department's non-medical work force census.
	In 2001, 14 new mental health trusts were established. These new trusts are the result of restructuring parts of 30 other organisations where mental health services were provided in 2000. In some cases, the organisation that existed in 2000 has gone, split partly into a new mental health trust and partly into another acute trust. In other cases, the 2000 organisation still exists, but without its mental health services division.
	As a result of these changes, it is not possible to compare the latest available figures with those from previous reporting years.

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the role of physiotherapy in the treatment and rehabilitation of mental health patients; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received six parliamentary questions from the hon. Member and one letter from Catherine Pope, chair of the Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. I can confirm that the national service framework for mental health emphasises the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to care and treatment, and that there is good evidence that regular physical activity reduces the risk of depression and has positive benefits for mental health. This is important for people with severe mental illness who may be at particular risk of physical ill health. However, decisions about the configuration of services are a local matter, in the context of national guidance, following "Shifting the Balance of Power".

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists are employed in mental health trusts in each strategic health authority.

John Hutton: The table shows the number of physiotherapists employed in mental health trusts listed by strategic health authority. It should be noted that physiotherapists are also employed in mental health units of other national health service trusts.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): qualified physiotherapists employed by mental health trusts, by strategic health authority area, in England, as at 30 September 2001
		
			  Head count 
		
		
			 All staff 640 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 30 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 10 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 10 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 90 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire (62)— 
			 Dorset and Somerset 10 
			 Essex 60 
			 Greater Manchester (62)— 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 10 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 20 
			 North Central London (62)— 
			 North East London (62)— 
			 North West London 70 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 30 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 80 
			 South East London 20 
			 South West London 10 
			 South West Peninsula 10 
			 Surrey and Sussex 50 
			 Thames Valley 10 
			 Trent 50 
			 West Yorkshire 80 
		
	
	(62) Five or less and greater than zero
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	Source:
	Department of Health 2001 Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions the Mental Health Care Group Workforce team has had regarding the role of physiotherapy in the treatment of mental health patients and disseminating best practice.

Jacqui Smith: The mental health care group workforce team is looking at issues relating to the patient pathway through mental health services. As yet, no specific discussions have been held concerning the role of physiotherapists. However, issues relating to specific staff groups will be addressed in due course.

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the planned closure of the specialist mental health physiotherapy team at Oxleas NHS Trust accords with the Government's national health service framework for mental health.

Jacqui Smith: Decisions about the configuration of services to meet the needs of people with mental health problems are a local matter, in the context of national guidance. The national service framework (NSF) for mental health emphasises the importance of a multi- disciplinary approach to care and treatment. It also emphasises the importance of attention to physical health and the value of exercise. However, the NSF is not prescriptive about the numbers of different professionals needed. Instead, it emphasises the outcomes to be achieved, and the importance of evidence-based practise. I understand that services are being planned in order to ensure that mental health service users who require physiotherapy continue to receive this both now and in the future.

Mental Health

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the evidence base for the value of physiotherapy in the treatment of mental health patients.

Jacqui Smith: Physiotherapists are experts in movement and mobility. They are trained to use their skills to promote good health, prevent disability and treat people who may have any of a wide range of health problems, including mental health. In order to use and apply the physiotherapeutic skill base with mental health patients, it is necessary for professionals to have a good understanding of mental illness and the health effects from mental illness, in this case particularly physical presentations as part of their condition.
	The physical needs of people with mental health problems are recognised in the mental health national service framework (NSF). Following publication of the NSF in 1999, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy commissioned an evidence-based bulletin of the role of physiotherapy in mental health.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether PFI contracts for mental health service schemes valued over £1 million have been signed since 13 February.

John Hutton: holding answer 9 July 2002
	Cornwall Health National Health Service Trust reached financial close on 30 April 2002 for a mental health facility.

Gulf War Syndrome

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients claim to have Gulf War Syndrome; and what funds are available in 2002–03 for research into its cause and cure.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 July 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Defence does not recognise "Gulf War Syndrome" as a medical condition. It accepts that some veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf Conflict have become ill and that many believe this ill health is unusual and related to their Gulf experience. A large number of multi-system, multi-organ, non-specific, medically unexplained symptoms have been reported by some Gulf veterans as well as recognised medical conditions. The overwhelming consensus of the scientific and medical community is that there is insufficient evidence to enable this ill-health to be characterised as a unique illness, condition or 'syndrome'.
	Nevertheless, a paper published in the British Medical Journal dated 1 September 2001 entitled: "Prevalence of Gulf war veterans who believe they have Gulf war syndrome: questionnaire study" suggested that approximately 17 per cent. (9,000) of United Kingdom Gulf veterans believed they have "Gulf War Syndrome".
	During financial year 2002–03, the MOD expects to spend approximately £1 million (including VAT) on Gulf veterans' illnesses research projects. This figure does not include current and planned MOD research into DU munitions.

Correspondence

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the correspondence from the right hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed dated 11 February and 18 April, with regard to the implications of the Data Protection Act 1998 for hospital chaplaincy work.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 July 2002
	A reply was sent on 19 July.

Sausage Casings

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency complied with its obligation to consult those directly affected in the case of its proposed ban on sheep intestine on its decision.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 July 2002
	As no new legislation was being put forward the Food Standards Agency were under no statutory obligation to consult interested parties on the recommendations of the core stakeholder group. The agency did, however, consult over 1,000 interested parties in May of this year. The consultation gave the opportunity for a wide range of interested parties to comment on what was, in effect, a report considering the agency's possible policy options.
	As it is the agency's stated aim to conduct its business in an open and transparent way it decided to obtain the views of those most likely to be directly affected at the earliest opportunity, even though they were not proposing new legislation.